Sword Art Online: Guardians of the Heart
by SilverFlameHaze
Summary: A seemingly unrelated action can cause the entire story to shift. Watch what happens as a group of teenaged kids fight their way through SAO. And enjoy as their mere presence causes ripples in the 'canon storyline'. Eventually leading to a completely different ending. Kirito/Yuuki with slight but significant Kirito/Asuna. Rated M because I can. Read the bold to discover more.
1. Ch1: And thus, It Begins

**Hello loyal and traitorous followers! This is Lann Majra here with another story. I know what your thinking. "He can't even handle two! Why is he going for three!" Well, it's rather simple. Bleach has died in my mind. Bleach was an awesome story that held many people to it. However, the only part I really liked was the Soul Society arc. I'm not going to lie. I watched every episode of the series because of that arc alone. THAT is how damn epic that arc and story was. And I know I'm not the only person who has done this. Soul Society's arc was amazing because you never knew what was around the corner, and they were introducing new characters that had, for the most part, awesome potential. However, after that arc, the story got repetitive and plot holes began to swarm like termites.**

**However, that is neither here nor there. It is depressing for me to write about Avalon Squad right now because every time I do, all I can think of is the latest arcs and chapters which is making me feel like I should just stop reading the chapters before I come across something that kills Bleach forever in my mind. I tried to write my Naruto chapters but it's taking longer than usual because I still haven't gotten over the whole Tobi is Obito thing. It made me feel like Bleach was happening all over again! D: So, I'm taking the time off to start an entirely different story in a different world and setting. Hopefully, this will allow my creative thoughts to wear brighter clothing than the damn random plot bunnies having an orgy in my head.  
**

**I will have a priority list. 1: Naruto: Nothing Stops Me Now. I shall try to write at least twice or thrice a week. Updating should be once a month hopefully. And 2: Sword Art Online: Guardians of the Heart. I hope to write for this story at least three times every two weeks. No clue on updating though. And finally, 3: Bleach: Infinity Avalon Squad. I shall only write for this in my free time, because of my previous explanation.  
**

**Anyway, it is time for me to explain the many things to expect in this story, and why I decided to put it in.  
**

**-Self OC Inserts. My friends and I need to make an appearance in a story not Bleach. What better one than Sword Art Online? :3 Expect six characters. These six are pretty much the main forces of my best friends and will slightly explain themselves over time. If you have questions about them, ask me in a review and I might answer. If you have an embarrassing question about them, ask me in a review and I will almost definitely answer! :D  
**

**-Kirito. I want him to be pretty canon, but not so... Hero. He will have some pride so hopefully he won't get completely bossed around by all the girls. I need him to remain slightly antisocial, because I can relate to that. However, because of the appearance of my friends and I he shall come across a strange event that will shape his very existence in SAO. Secret for now ;3  
**

**-Guildmaster Kirito. I am not going to tell you much about this. It's a secret for now, but expect the guild to be large and skilled. It's acts will be determined by it's leader. Despite the group's almost constant use of democracy.  
**

**-Sword Skills. I'm probably going to have to make up a few of them. Some swords don't give much in terms of sword skills, like the Katana.  
**

**-Pairings. This is probably what's going to shape how many of you read this. Despite my liking of the canon pairing of Kirito/Asuna, I am not going to be using that completely here. Asuna will have a major part in the story both emotionally and physically. She is going to have romantic feelings towards Kirito, however he will not return them. He will be the best of friends with Asuna, but he will not view her as anything but that. Despite his eventual knowledge of her affection. The pairing for this story will be, a shocking revelation to even myself, Kazuto/Yuuki. The reason? Truthfully, I didn't even know about Yuuki until I read the story, Sword Art Online: Prince of Darkness by KaiserBlak. After that, I advanced in my point of the light novel and found many key traits about what I would view as relating to my own relationship. Because of this, I felt naturally inclined to do 'some' Kazuto/Yuuki... But my brain just screwed me over and said, why not the whole thing! XD The emotion in this story will be something phenomenal, I hope.  
**

**-Yuuki's sickness. The current time is when Yuuki just moved from her old home due to be ostracized. Just before her immune system weakened and she was put in the situation called "Opportunistic Infection". So technically, if her immune system were to improve now before she came into contact with Pneumocystis Pneumonia. Let us remember that this is a fanfiction and should be discussed as such. This is also far into the future where medical science has increased by folds. While people have not given up on finding a cure for HIV or AIDS, it has been put behind due to other infections and diseases. The world is unfair this way. And I am not just talking about the world of Sword Art Online, as this is the way it works for our world as well. If the government truly cared about stopping all this sickness immediately over other things which are, rightfully sometimes more important, we would have more than likely found a cure for many diseases however, we probably would be in a state of warfare as well. So, this reality is preferred. Sorry if I ranted a bit there... I told you that Yuuki's situation made me relate it to my own relationship, although not nearly as dire.  
**

**-Sense? Sorry we ran out. ;3  
**

**I have nothing to really talk about right now.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online, Starbucks, or any characters mentioned in this chapter. Lance is Fione's and vice versa. Clyde and Morgan are the devil's. And I pretty much belong to Lex. Despite how much I would try to claim her as 'mine' :3 I wouldn't believe it myself until I can put a damn ring on her finger in a few years... Only a few more...  
**

* * *

**Chapter One: And thus, It Begins.  
**

* * *

**Location: Reno, Nevada.  
**

A sigh slipped through someone's lips.

Brown eyes revealed themselves behind dark lids, obviously deprived of much-needed sleep. The brown orbs glanced at the screen in an attempt at what could be called reading. But really, the man was just too damn tired to focus on what words were going through his head. The eyes blinked back frustration, trying very hard to not go to sleep until he was done.

"Why" you might ask. Why was Clyde Johnson, also known as Buttercup on drunken benders for reasons better left unsaid, sitting in the desk of his friend trying to read and process the damn Japanese characters coming up on the screen. Specifically, when said friend was out of the room and sleeping in a taxi downstairs. His taxi to be precise.

Clyde had many days like this. Where he would drug someone and knock them out, just for the fun of having such knowledge or because he needed them out of the way for a few hours. Although, he always tried to avoid knocking his friends out, he seemed to always have to when he was trying to do something fun. He couldn't let his friend annoy him and figure out what he was doing when on the computer.

Lightly shaking his head and dragging his hand across his rough brown hair, Clyde groaned tiredly. The world was changing fast and he hated getting used to new customs. Almost every person in the world knew at least two languages in the year 2021. And of course, with the advancement in knowledge so did the area of technology improve. His friend, Lann Majra, also known as 'that one guy with black hair' on Clyde's drunken benders, knew Japanese due to the school he joined. Apparently, it was the class with the fewest people, hence why he joined.

Clyde, not being one to enjoy walking around in a giant place that could probably be used as a prison with enough chains, never entered schools. And the police knew little to nothing about his existence. A few officers knew him, ones he trusted would never say a word about him. Although most of those people were just zipping their mouths shut because of his extraordinary skill in the art of blackmail. Who knew so many police officers were drug abusers, cheaters, and just plain bored enough to trust a random teen?

He looked back at the screen. The characters that was in another language, one which he clearly did not know, were practically taunting him. The semi-insane teen turned off the computer before getting up and leaving. He was going to have to get Lann to translate for him after all.

His feet stopped once they reached the door. He glared at the door knob as if it was hiding all the knowledge he wanted to know, before shoving his hand inside his pocket and fishing out a thick rubber glove. He put it on hastily and opened the door, trying to ignore the slight, almost magnetic pull that was on the doorknob.

The door shut and Clyde put his glove back in his pocket before walking off into the elevator.

"Why does he put those traps there anyway?... It's not like he puts anything here or actually lives here..." the teen muttered while absently pushing the first floor button and noting with annoyance that his hand still felt a bit strange.

* * *

**Location: Reno, Nevada. Grand Sierra Resort.  
**

Lann groaned as he realized he was in the wrong room of the place he was staying at. He was certain that this was not one of the rooms that he booked. Actually, as his vision cleared, he was certain this wasn't even the same floor that he booked. He wasn't even in a room!

With narrowed eyes, the confused teen slowly turned to the left to see a familiar smirk.

"Clyde..." Lann practically hissed the name. Although, it was mostly the hangover.

"Happy to see you awake, good old friend! But don't you think that's a terrible way to say good morning? Even after I was kind enough to give you a ride back to the HQ, too..." Clyde said, trying not to let his smirk grow. The greatest part about owning a taxi was without a doubt, watching people wake up and not realize they were in one.

And there it went, a subtle glance of the sapphire eyes from him to the window. Almost enough to miss, if he wasn't studying the man in front of him. Lann grimaced, despite his anger at the massive headache and the cause of it, he knew that Clyde would have left anyone else on the street. Heck, he had done it before to many people.

He grunted and straightened himself. Searching the pockets in his trench coat for something useful was a good way to distract himself from his ire.

"Why do you insist on calling it that? I just rented out a floor and you call the building a head quarters..." Lann said, annoyance tingeing his voice. How many times is this going to happen? This had to be their 47th 'HQ', why continue calling it that!?

Clyde just opened a small compartment below the drivers seat and pulled out some sunglasses. Holding them in an almost taunting way, he spoke.

"Well, don't forget that Stiles and Alexis also calls it that."

Snatching the glasses before Clyde could pull them away, Lann ignored him as he took his fedora from the seat behind him and opened the car door. He shut the door and pulled out his wallet.

Lann tried really, really hard to ignore the annoying remarks he heard his friend make by his side as he followed him into the hotel, only stopping to show the attendant his ID and continuing up to the 5th floor.

He should have been rewarded a medal for trying.

* * *

A subtle sound was heard in the room as a dark-haired teen looked at the door. Almost as if in response to her glance.

The door opened to reveal a teen with shut eyes and a fedora, looking nothing more than a bit annoyed but was really quaking with rage. And the unspoken source of said rage, a brown-haired teen who was completely aware of his friends anger and seemed to want to push it more.

The annoyed male simply took small steps into the room and before he could turn around, the other teen spoke.

"I know, I know. Out of the room while your dear Alexis calms you down. Wouldn't want a genocide occurring in such a grand resort. I just wanted to let you know that I need to speak to you about something important soon. Meet me at this place at 3:00 PM."

And without another minute for the confused pair to reply, he slipped a paper card into Lann's hand and walked out.

The pair did nothing as the door shut gently.

. . .

"I'll order from Starbucks." And with that, the girl dropped back down onto the bed and began using the phone provided by the hotel to get some coffee.

Lann instantly felt sane again.

* * *

**Location: Reno, Nevada. Grand Sierra Resort, Mustangs.**

Lance Viren had done many things in his life. He had fought scum and broken many bones. Not many of them were his. He could boast about humiliating police officers in none-parkour cities. And he could make a poker champion cry in rage with a simple conversation.

But he could honestly say, without a doubt, the greatest thing he had ever done was getting drunk in a very fine bar, called Mustangs.

He woke up with a slight hangover but also with a credit card with his name on it, and a note in his wallet.

_Your birthday + Stile's birthday - Clyde's birthday!_

His handwriting, while slightly slurred, was still recognizable to him. He quickly deduced that this new credit card must have some info about what happened the previous night, and calmly made his way to the nearest ATM.

Mentally calculating what he believed was the pin, he accessed the account.

And almost fell over.

He had no idea how he came to possess such an amount, but would make sure not to waste it. Quickly logging off, he took the card and left.

Lance all but ran to the elevator and hit the fifth floor button. The man had no idea what he could do with the money honestly. He wasn't normally the moneymaker of the little group he associated himself with. Heck, he was the muscle mostly, and the tactics when the brain was busy.

"This has to be at least three times as much as Clyde makes on his annual payment..." he muttered, while blessing whatever deity existed that made the amazing elevator. Damn stairs are deadly.

The elevator door opened and he received a strange look from the uniformed boy next to him. Lance paid him no mind and walked to the end of the hallway to knock on a door that had a sign on it.

He immediately stopped himself when he saw that the sign had a strange, but accurate drawing of the Starbucks business symbol.

"Lann, it's me. Can I come in?" he spoke quietly to the door, hoping that whatever headache his friend was in wasn't making his sensitive hearing flare up.

A few seconds later the door opened and he was greeted by a dark-haired girl hugging him briefly before stepping inside, motioning him to follow.

He did and closed the door behind him. Lance was far used to Alexis's behavior by now. She may seem spontaneous but for someone who has known her personally for so long, she was easier to understand. Not completely understandable though.

Lance walked into the room that his friend was in, noticing that the lights were dimmed by the switch, but not completely off. Lann was in a chair sipping some coffee and reading some type of magazine. Lance had little trouble sitting down in the chair across, but suddenly found himself confused on what he should say. How do you tell someone that you suddenly got a bunch of money because you got drunk?

Seemingly sensing his friend's confusion, but taking it for the wrong reason, Lann decided to open up the conversation.

"It's an article about the latest improvements by a scientist who is working on virtual reality." he said with a slight smirk.

Lance understood that his friend was referring to his magazine and was almost distracted from his original goal. He simply nodded and cleared his throat.

His raven-haired associate raised an eyebrow before putting the magazine down and paying more attention. While he didn't show it, he was a bit annoyed at guessing his friend's intent incorrectly.

"I was out last night exorcising when I got a headache from some sirens. I went to the bar downstairs to get a few drinks, clear my head. I just woke up with a hangover and credit card that I did not have before." Lance said with a slight monotone, showing the card in his hand.

Lann had to try hard not to face palm. The irony of both him and his friend getting drunk and hangovers on the same night separately was a bit annoying. Even more so when his friend appeared to be fine with his hangover and even got some type of credit card, somehow.

"Skipping the fact that you somehow got a credit card with your name on it in a single night, how much is on it?" said a soft voice from beside them, making Lance look towards his other listener.

"At least three times what Clyde get's on his annual." he said, making both listeners heads shoot up.

Alexis seemed to be wondering where on earth he could have gotten that, while Lann was busy taking out his phone and calculating how much money they had, with an impromptu estimate of how much Lance had obtained.

"Well, it's official. We now have enough money to go anywhere in the world and live peacefully until we die." Lann said, making Lance slightly glare at him.

"You can't be serious. We weren't supposed to reach our goal for another five years. At the most this should put us up a year or two." Lance spoke, trying not to sound hopeful.

Alexis, who had stopped trying to think of whatever Lance did, finally spoke again. "No, our average got a major boost from a trade deal between us and that RECTO Progress Inc. from Japan. Clyde's... dealings have increased in this area because of that coverup he found. And Fione's art has been selling even more than usual combined with her sudden inspiration. Add this up and we should be clear. Although a bit extra never hurts."

Lance's eyes widened at this. Their 'company' never allied themselves with anyone. Especially since all they really did was sell Fione's art and some of the random technology that Lann made. Heck, they had people who did all of there paperwork for them, including Michael and Morgan who were the highest in the 'food-chain' beside them.

"Don't you think that's a bit... Lucky?" Lance managed to say, hoping that his friends would understand what he was getting at.

They both nodded. Although this time, Lann spoke. "Yeah, but I checked it all at least four times. It's all legit, except for your... experience."

Alexis nodded again, speaking softly. "I'll go ask Clyde to check with his contact here to see if he can get some video footage on that..."

Their bemused friend sighed in relief. He may actually be able to learn what he did.

"That reminds me, I need to go meet up with Clyde soon. You two feel like coming?" Lann said, pulling out some sunglasses.

Alexis smiled and started getting ready, not even making a confirmation. Lance on the other hand actually spoke.

"No. I've had enough excitement for now. I think I am just going to go lie down or see what Fione's painting."

Just as Lance was about to leave, he heard his friends comment.

"Just because were done with making money actively, doesn't mean you can 'have fun' and disrupt her painting!"

Lann's eyes widened as he swore he saw Lance almost trip at his girl's comment.

"Did you have to tease him? Now he's going to think we disapprove of a relationship between him and her." he said once Lance shut the door a tad bit too loudly for his hangover.

"Oh you know that wouldn't stop him. Or at least her!" Alexis retorted with a stifled giggle.

Lann rolled his eyes as he got his shoes back on. Sometimes he wondered if she was also as crazy as him.

* * *

**Location: Reno, Nevada. A random pizza place.**

Clyde was sitting back at a table eating some pizza and bread sticks. He was waiting for his friend who had yet to even call to say he was on his way. So rude!

He shrugged. At least he chose a good place to meet. This pizza was much better than the last place he went that had such a thing. After sipping some Pepsi, he sighed contently.

He wished he could just do this everyday. Eat, hang out, exorcise, and then some random hobby. Unfortunately, he gets to spend half his days and nights finding seemingly random people and drugging them, and most of the other halves are spent getting messages from other contacts and maintaining relations for his 'company'.

A groan is released unintentionally. Sometimes, he wonders if he should have ever made those fake IDs that allowed him and his friends to masquerade as adults, when they are sixteen or fifteen years old.

Clyde shakes his head angrily. Thinking like that would only give him a headache.

_'Besides... If I didn't make those IDs, I wouldn't be having nearly as much fun as I am now.'_ he thought to himself. If he did do nothing everyday, he knew he would probably kill himself from boredom.

The sound of someone sitting down shook away his thoughts far better than shaking his head did. He looked up to see his friend who had finally gotten here take a slice of pizza.

"You know, Lann... Taking a man's pizza is considered a crime in most countries." Clyde said with a neutral face.

Lann rolled his eyes before saying, "As if I would let you eat an entire box of pizza. You would fall asleep right as we would be talking."

"And you know as well as I do, that Lann doesn't have enough manners to ask." said another voice that he only half expected to hear. Clyde looked to the right to see Alexis coming over and sitting next to Lann, who looked a bit annoyed at her comment.

His friend seemed to grunt at that comment, although that might just have been because he was busy chewing on some pizza.

"Anyway, I believe it's time to discuss what we met up here for." Clyde began, absently noting that his listeners glanced at eachother in their strange silent language type of way. He stopped trying to understand it a long time ago, focusing instead on trying to detect when it happened.

"A contact of mine left a message a few days ago, which because of the Granada Incident, I wasn't able to read it. I was just able to read what it said yesterday before I started investigating it's subject. Let's just say that a lot of yellow tape and green paper is going to Japan right now. I couldn't get that much further into it because of... Communication problems." Clyde explained.

"You couldn't read Japanese?" Alexis quipped, maintaining what appeared as a deadpan face.

Clyde tried not to glare at her. He was able to nod his head slightly, hoping his friend wouldn't refuse helping with finding the info.

"Alright, show me." Lann said, keeping his face clear. Although inside he was wondering why his friend seemed a bit nervous.

The brown-haired teen nodded and took out some papers that he printed before he left his friend's computer last night.

Lann started going through the papers and seemed intrigued in what he was reading. However, somewhere along the middle of the papers he was reading, he seemed to just start skimming through. Satisfied with what he read, he put the papers back next to Clyde and simply thought about it.

"Your info there is just about what I read in a magazine this morning-" Lann paused to smirk at his friends surprised expression ", and it is interesting. Nothing that I can see that involves crime, but potential for a new generation of technology. Which means potential for a new generation of warfare. That's nothing that concerns us though."

Clyde regained his senses as he processed that and nodded.

"What is it about anyway? I was only able to decipher a few words." Clyde asked, slightly disappointed.

"A scientist, Kayaba Akihiko, is pretty much making a virtual reality machine and turning it into a children's video game." Lann said after a bite of pizza.

Alexis gasped while Clyde tried to process how that could be possible and how it was possible to turn it into upgrades for warfare.

"Your wondering what's so special about it, aren't you Clyde?" Lann asked, pausing for his friend to nod.

"We had machines that work on human thought since around five years ago. But this is completely different. This man, Kayaba, is making a completely virtual world where the children are players and they literally become part of that world. By transmitting all the signals our brain sends to make our body feel, move, smell, see and all that, to an avatar in a virtual world, technically counts as a true virtual reality. In truth, it's probably the best description of it so far." Lann explained further.

Clyde's eyes widened as he understood the hidden message in that. To be able to understand the brain on that level would mean you were able to make an entire new class of weapon focusing on the weaknesses of the brain to kill, or the opposite to make super soldiers.

"You understand yet?" Lann said in a grave tone.

Both Clyde and Alexis nod at the question, trying to put that in the back of their minds.

After a quick glance at the time, Lann decided to bring up the next topic.

"Clyde there has also been a massive run of good luck our way right now. And honestly, it might be enough to make you freak out. You wanna hear it now or at the hotel?" Lann asked, trying to ignore the hushed whisper of 'HQ' that the girl next to him used.

"Just... Just say it..." Clyde stated, trying to distract himself.

"The total boosts of Fione's sales and production speed, our newest partnership deal, your money from selling the case to the cops, and Lance's newest event has landed us just about at our goal." Lann said bluntly, trying not to laugh at Clyde's stupefied face.

Several minutes passed before Clyde was able to do anything but try to process all that information. He finally asked, "W-what was Lance's... 'event'?"

"He got drunk last night accidentally and woke up with a credit card that had over 3 times your annual and his name on it." Alexis deadpanned, wanting to hit the boy next to her for messing with their friend so much.

"Oh yeah, could you somehow get the tape of what happened last night in the Mustangs downstairs? That would help us learn what he did." Lann said, knowing he was reaching his limit on how much he could tease Clyde before he got punched.

Clyde just stared blankly at his two friends for a few seconds before his mind rebooted and he was back to normal.

"I'll get started on handing the company's name over to Michael and naming us CEOs. Should I send a message to Morgan or do we sack him?" Clyde asked.

"We are not 'sacking' a perfectly loyal person Clyde!" Alexis said in a scolding tone.

Clyde put his hands up in a defensive gesture while saying, "Alright alright, sorry just got a bit greedy again."

Lann rolled his eyes at that. He knew Clyde better than most. Clyde never got 'greedy', he got bored or cautious. That was him being cautious, since he didn't know Morgan much. Although people who didn't know him would easily fall for his lies.

Unfortunately, Lann was the only person in their entire group who knew him that well.

* * *

Later that day...

All of the newest CEOs of 'Misfit's Inc'**(1)** had just assembled in the middle of Lann's room, along with a phone on speaker that Morgan was listening and speaking through.

"So... It's time for us to pick a place to live happily ever after!" Fione said cheerfully, trying not to cry tears of joy.

It seemed to lighten up the atmosphere as everyone chuckled or smiled, even Lann and Lance shared a smirk.

"All this time, and we just slammed through to the end by pure luck." Clyde said, almost wistfully. Everyone nodded. They could all agree that since they each met eachother through what could be called fate or luck, that this was an opportunity that they were waiting for. To put all their memories of this country behind.

Fione bolted up and immediately said her piece, "I propose France."

This caused a bit more mirth to be spread around the room.

Morgan seemed ready to speak and called his vote, "I always wanted to see how it is in Australia!"

Lann raised an eyebrow at that and just shrugged like the rest of the group. "I suggest somewhere in Japan."

Everyone else in the room, and even Morgan rolled their eyes at that. Predictable, they all thought.

For some reason, Lann smirked.

Clyde thought about it and then said, "Raising some hell in Canada sounds fun. They have been pretty peaceful for as long as I can remember..."

Morgan seemed to be surprised at such a bold statement about his home country and Fione was glaring at the teen for sounding so evil.

Lance simply shrugged and said, "I'll wait till the reasons."

Alexis agreed with him. "Same!"

Fione adjusted her hat and explained why she picked France, "Great art, beautiful places to explore, romantic nights, and amazing sights."

Morgan decided to ask a question about her reasoning, "What about the great food?"

Clyde smirked as he answered this one, "We're too used to Lann or Alexis cooking. It'd take us a lot to try anything else besides fast food or that."

A pause was heard as everyone knew that Morgan loved food and was no doubt wondering just how good their cooking was. "Anyways, I just think that Australia would have a bunch of cool animals to see, nice weather, certain areas on the sides where we would be able to see penguins, and nice foreign ingredients."

Everyone seemed to be looking at Lann now, since he was the only one left without an explanation.

He smirked again before talking.

"The reason I suggested somewhere in Japan is because there is no doubt some city that has most of the good trade ingredients, technology, and great places to sight see. The houses are beautiful and the scenery is very intoxicating. And the greatest reason isn't even done yet." he stated, causing many to look at him in confusion. They were expecting a rather similar explanation to their own, since nobody has had time to think about this decision.

They should have known that Lann would have a good explanation in minutes, yet they give him hours and expect him to use something easy? Now that they thought of it, bad idea.

"Alright Lann, we get it. Your a born politician, just tell us already!" Clyde teased, making Lann twitch a bit. He hated hypocrites and to him, politicians were just another synonym for the word, hypocrites.

"Kayaba Akihiko. I'm assuming you have all heard of him?" Lann said, taking great pleasure in watching how three of the people in the room froze and listening to Morgan gasp.

He knew that Clyde and Alexis had heard, since he had explained it to them. And he took a gamble, guessing that Lance would be interesting in that little mistake he talked about before and would research it. Morgan was always online when he wasn't dealing with paperwork, so it wasn't surprising hearing him gasp. Now all that was left was Fione, who was just sitting there with a confused expression.

"Uh... No. Who is this Akihiko guy?" she asked with a bit of caution, noticing everyone's reactions.

"Kayaba Akihiko is a scientist who has perfected the study of the brain to a level where he can transmit our senses from our brains to an avatar in a virtual world, effectively making a virtual reality. Apparently, he has already completed his research and is now working on a game where he intends to implement this system. A closed Beta shall be held in Japan where 1000 players will be randomly selected. Well, with Clyde here, I doubt it could be very random." Lann stated, making everyone understand. Clyde had to smirk. He knew that Lann was going to bring something interesting to the table, retiring or not.

Morgan automatically agreed. The chance to try out such a video game was already amazing enough to make him go there, but to actually have a chance to be in it's Beta? There was no way he could stop himself.

Fione had become entranced in the possibilities of places to explore and the beautiful sights she could see in an entirely different world. You could practically hear Lann think the words, Hook, Line and Sinker.

Lance had liked the idea of checking into this new technology and he also liked the possibility of going into a small remote area in Japan that he would never have to be bothered by this country again.

Alexis saw that everyone was for the idea of Japan and knew that even she wanted to go now. Chances are she would have gone with the most voted option, but even she had no idea it would be so unanimous.

"It normally takes years to create a video game, however that's because of the matrices and video of the world it's in. Kayaba already has 50% of that in his research so he should be good on that. The longest I can see this Beta taking before it starts is around a year. That gives you guys a year to learn Japanese." Lann said with his smirk in full force.

* * *

**Location: Kawagoe City, Japan. Airport.**

The group of teenaged CEOs were just getting out of the airport. Once outside, they marveled at the beauty of the city after dark. Lights were on but not too many. The entire city seemed to radiate a cozy feeling, or maybe that was just them naturally loving their new home. Their final home.

They met up with Morgan outside, who was upset about having to sit next to complete strangers during his ride. Poor guy also hated the airplane food.

"So what made us decide this city, anyway?" Fione asked, not complaining but genuinely curious.

"Several reasons. Clyde preferred a smaller area to use his methods of getting into the Beta. Lance wanted a small remote area as well for personal reasons. Me and Alexis agreed on that point. And mostly because Michael told us that we could increase the relations between us and RECTO from here." Lann said.

Fione was a bit confused on that last reason. "Wait, how is that going to happen? And why should we care about that?"

Alexis smiled and answered, "We don't personally care about it. But we decided that helping Michael out couldn't be that bad if it coincided with our goals. And the president of RECTO, a Shouzou Yuuki, lives around here personally. He is going to enter a semi-retirement state just like us sometime later in his career and would like to have some practice managing relations personally. So when he goes overseas for his super vacation slash retirement, he can maintain relations for his company."

Fione made a sound of understanding before looking back at their city, no their home.

"So... How are we getting to our new house?" Clyde asked, looking at Lann. Said person seemed to go rigid for a second before answering calmly.

"I believe that it would be best to walk home. We can get used to the city and there's no chance of us being mugged with all of us here." he said, noting that Fione and Morgan fell for that on the dot solution, while the others rolled their eyes but agreed.

_'Damnit... I should have thought of a solution before hand... I'm not used to going to new countries!'_

* * *

Later the next day

The group made it to their house unimpeded. No attempted muggings happened, much to Clyde's dismay. And everyone explored the new house thoroughly. It was a two story building that had a nice front and back yard. And some type of wooden patio in the backyard. Fione kept going on and on about how beautiful it was that Lance had to distract her a few times to keep everyone from getting sidetracked.

Lann and Alexis chose to sleep in a medium sized room near the middle of the second floor. It had it's own bathroom but only one bed. They were fine with that truthfully.

Morgan chose a room next to them, which was a small size. But it would fit him. It wasn't like he would spend his entire life in there for once. He also liked the view he had of the city when he looked out the window.

Clyde chose the basement, which no one even noticed. Quite honestly, only him and Lann liked the dark so it was a rather natural choice for him.

Lance took a room on the first floor. It was smaller than the other rooms, but it was still a decent size. It had a bathroom right next door to it, and a walk-in closet that was under the stairs. Thankfully, he couldn't hear the footsteps of someone unless they were stomping or he was in the closet trying to hear something. Something about that made him happy, which Lann just guessed was the possibility to catch a robber.

And Fione took a room on the second floor. It was smaller than the couple's room but bigger than Lance's. And across from it was a bathroom. She enjoyed the closet size the most.

Other than that, there was a kitchen and a dining room that were connected via a bar-like table. Lann called it a 'breakfast table' for some reason. But everyone agreed that it looked like a good place to eat breakfast in the morning, when the sun came up.

There were a only two rooms left. They decided that when they had enough time, they would set up a computer and bookcases in one, and set the other one up as a little meeting room. Clyde seemed insistent on having a couch that was sleep compatible.

After ordering pizza for breakfast, Lann set up his laptop and prepared some Japanese online lessons that he downloaded for his friends- no his family.

He smiled a bit at that thought. He couldn't remember much of his old family, none of them could. Except Morgan and Lance. Lance disliked his family with a good reason and Morgan just never talked about his.

Everyone was up and eating pizza at the breakfast table, as Lann had dubbed it. Clyde finished early and decided to check the front yard.

He was a bit surprised to see a tennis ball on the porch with a note. Picking up the note, he read what could only be deciphered as "Welcome to the neighborhood." He smirked.

Throwing the tennis ball at a trashcan in front of the house, he walked back inside. Not noticing that the ball bounced off the side of the can and continued down the street.

This one action would have a very big effect.

* * *

**Location: Kawagoe City, Japan. Saitama Prefecture.**

Kirigaya Kazuto could not be called a worried person. Normally very laid-back or even nonchalant.

However, right now he was a bundle of nerves just waiting to explode. You see, it all started this morning. His mother, no his aunt, Kirigaya Midori had asked him to get the newspaper. He was a bit more sleepy than usual due to staying up late at night reading about the newest improvements on the Sword Art Online project by Argus.

When he went outside to get the newspaper, he noticed that instead of being thrown on his doorstep like usual, the paperboy decided to just put it near the front of the home's gate.

While grumbling about 'lazy newspaper deliverers' he walked over to the front of the gate and calmly opened it and closed it, his sleep addled mind not paying attention to the fact that he is going to need to open it again. As he began walking towards to newspaper, maybe he should have tried waking up a bit more.

Because he didn't pay enough attention to the tennis ball he tripped on. Next thing he knows, he's in the hospital being scolded by his sister- No! his cousin, Suguha for not being careful. Oh yeah, he also had a broken leg and pinky finger somehow.

His internal arguments over what he should call his family members combined with the tears in Midori's and Suguha's eyes had really taken a toll on his subconscious at that moment. And he hasn't been able to talk to anybody about it due to his antisocial nature. He never had anybody else come by his room except those two. And even then, they usually cried. It was not helping his guilt since he was pretty sure he had a guilt complex by that point.

* * *

Finally allowed to use a wheelchair to move around the hospital by now, Kazuto began trying to exorcise(his arms) to get his mind off of things. By the end of the day, Kazuto was sure he would recognize almost the entire hospital for a year. Cursing himself about his good memory and trying to find activities to do the next day, he fell asleep.

The next morning, Kazuto ate breakfast and proceeded trying to exorcise by re-exploring the hospital in places he couldn't memorize completely. It was around 3:00 PM that he realized that there was no place that he was allowed to go to that he hadn't memorized. He directed himself towards the cafeteria trying not to be disappointed in his evident boredom.

After eating a light lunch due to depression, he wheeled himself around the hallways of the first floor trying to play an 'I-spy' game with himself using other people. He almost smacked himself for his depression of boredom. Before he could he noticed that a man with a top hat came in. A top hat!

Kazuto couldn't remember the last time he tried so hard not to laugh. After playing his little mental game for a bit longer he noticed that a girl with dark, almost midnight purple hair was sitting with her head down near one of the benches. During his game he noticed that whenever she was around her supposed family, she would smile and it didn't seem fake, even to him. But seeing her looking depressed the second her family couldn't see her was a bit saddening. Not to mention suspicious.

Now, Kirigaya Kazuto was never a person to try to pry into into another person's personal life. Hell, he told himself and his family that he was fine staying out of other people's lives. But when your bored, slightly riddled with guilt, have a broken leg and an aching pinky, you can't really help but use any distraction available to get yourself away from complete depression. He wheeled himself over to the girl.

"Hey?" he said in a hushed tone. Noticing that nobody minded him being there despite being the only person in a wheelchair in the entire lobby.

The girl looked up and tried to put on a smile. But this time, it looked fake to Kazuto. "You shouldn't be around me. People say that they could die around me." she said in a voice that could be mixed with cheerfulness and confusion. To Kazuto, it was a voice that he had only heard a few times. All of which were times when he was questioning himself about his family.

"They shouldn't lie then. If you were deadly, the doctors wouldn't allow you to stay here. So stop believing those lies." Kazuto said with a smile. Inside he was a bit angered that somebody would tell anybody such a thing, let alone a little girl who was probably only a year or two younger than him.

The girl's eyes widened as she processed this. She knew it already, but she was trying to get the boy away from her because she believed that it was still a possibility.

"Aren't you worried that the doctors could be wrong? That you could die?" she asked, genuine curiosity in her voice. Kazuto tried not to smile at the innocent question. The little girl who is in a hospital is asking a question like that? Irony never had such a better place.

"If I'm going to die because I talked to a cute girl, then may I die with a smile please?" Kazuto said with a smirk, teasing the girl slightly.

A light blush stained the girl's pale face as she giggled. It was hard to take the concept of life and death seriously at that point. Everything just seemed... lighter.

"Kazuto... Kirigaya Kazuto." the boy in the wheelchair said after a bit of mirth, holding his right hand out.

The girl stared at the hand with mixed emotions. If you asked her, years from now what she felt exactly at that moment, she would still say that she hadn't the slightest clue. Slowly, almost gently Kazuto thought, the girl placed her hand in his and shook it up and down.

"Konno Yuuki... Nice to meet you, Kazuto-kun!" the girl said in a higher tone, making Kazuto's smirk turn into a smile.

"Nice to meet you as well, Konno-san." Kazuto said with a smile. But he quickly raised an eyebrow when he saw the girl frown.

"Don't call me that!" she protested with what Kazuto would from then on dub, puppy dog eyes.

Said eyes would be his greatest enemy in all worlds or realities.

* * *

Kazuto talked to Yuuki a lot during his stay in the hospital. She had only come in for a checkup but came back during visiting hours almost every other day. Her doctor, a Doctor Kurahashi, had noticed her visits and decided to visit as well. He seemed happy that Yuuki was making a friend.

Eventually, the talk that Yuuki had dreaded had finally arrived, but Kazuto had not decided it. She did.

"Uhh...Kazuto-kun..." she started, trying to steel her nerves. She had to let him know. She had to let him decide whether he should be near her true self.

"Yes Yuuki?" Kazuto asked, having long since surrendered to 'those eyes'.

The girl seemed to calm slightly before looking all around the room avoiding his nonchalant gaze. Yuuki took a breath to calm herself and looked directly into Kazuto's eyes, making him raise an eyebrow at the complexity of the emotions working their way around her own eyes. It would take him hours to discover what she was thinking.

Not that he would try to stare into her eyes for hours. Nope... Okay it wasn't like he had anything better to do.

Thankfully, she started talking, or stuttering if you wanted to be precise.

"I-I think I s-should tell y-you about w-why I was... h-here two week ago..." she said, pausing to let herself realize that she had been around the guy pretty often.

Kazuto nodded, already knowing and thankful for her visits. He sometimes felt he was going insane here!

Carefully placing his hand on her shoulder, he watched as she relaxed and leaned into his touch slightly.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. But if you feel like you need to, go ahead." he said. Those words could have been contradictory but she understood. He knew that she was having trouble with her guilt of not letting him know. And he was letting her know that he was fine with how they were, but if she wanted to, truly wanted to she could continue.

She smiled. How could he do that? Acting like what she had to say wouldn't make him pause in the slightest.

"I was diagnosed with AIDS since birth." She said bluntly, taking him by surprise. He quickly shook off his surprise and nodded.

Yuuki narrowed her eyes. She finally worked up the courage to say what she wanted to say and he is simply a bit surprised and then nods?

"Is that the only reaction you have?" Yuuki asked in a low tone.

Kazuto smirked. It was a little smaller than his usual 'I am having fun at your expense' smirk. But somehow there was a big difference in it.

"I know about HIV due to a required health class. I was bored that day so I read up on it a bit more. It interested me that there's a disease that old that can do something that amazing. No offense." he said, with a bit of a sheepish look.

Yuuki had to repress the urge to smack him. He actually did take what she had to say as nothing more than a little bit of new information on her and perhaps what he knew about the disease in the first place. It didn't seem to bother him and him going on about how it intrigued him just made her flustered.

She might have been able to repress her first urge to smack him. But the second urge was too much.

Kazuto was waiting for the bangs of dark hair to lift so he could see Yuuki's face. He had expected her to run from him for being insensitive. Kazuto knew he was bad in social situations and him practically calling a disease 'amazing', when it was no doubt considered her worst enemy, just proved it. She had every right in his mind to just leave and never talk to him again...

He couldn't help but feel shocked that the pain he felt about that thought hurt more than breaking his leg.

Kazuto, so entranced in his 'Hating myself' party, didn't notice the soft, small arms that belonged to the object of his thoughts. And he continued not noticing them until he felt them slink around his waist and pull him against Yuuki.

This was the first, and he hoped the last time, he saw Yuuki cry.

* * *

**Location: Kawagoe City, Japan. Saitama Prefecture.**

Kazuto had just gotten back home from the hospital and was happy he gave Yuuki his address. Now if she had the time, she could visit him. After being attacked by his cousin with what he had to call a tackle hug. He got up and said hello to his family, before being dragged back down to the floor by his aunt who spent at least 5 minutes crying on him.

Then after finally getting up again and noticing that his aunt had ran out the gate yelling something about being back to make dinner. He assumed that she would be home to make dinner for once and that meant a normal family dinner. He was not looking forward to it.

After a bit of thought, he wondered if he should tell Suguha about their true relationship. And then immediately slapped himself when thinking about her tear-stained face as a reaction.

Suguha had gone to Kendo practice after a bit of talking with Kazuto. And he was left alone for most of the day.

He spent his time trying to follow the latest news that he no doubt missed on Sword Art Online. Apparently, not much happened in his absence. So he couldn't be sure whether he should be disappointed or grateful. Turns out that Yuuki had come over to check if the address she got was right.

Of course Kazuto decided that she should stay for a bit. Since he had nothing better to do and he was pretty sure she didn't either. That comment made her glare at him a bit.

"Am I wrong?" He asked with his normal smirk back. He knew that was asking for a taste of her fist.

Instead of attacking the rude teen, she practically deflated. He was absolutely right, she had nothing to do for the entire week except go get a checkup in a couple of days.

"No... Anyway, what have you done since you got back?" she asked with her normal bright smile back into place. He had no idea why, but her smiles seem to get brighter and brighter each time. He often compared it to the sun.

_'No... The sun's not bright enough anymore...'_ he idly thought.

And after a second of pause and reevaluation on that thought, he shrugged as he figured that could be considered flirting but didn't care because it was also considered the truth.

"I was just checking up on some news about a game." Kazuto said, trying to think about whether he should actually talk to her about it. She was the only person he felt like he could talk to. He hadn't talked to Suguha or Midori about SAO before.

"Hmm. I never played many games... What's it about?" Yuuki asked, curious about what could have attracted the attention of her best and only friend.

Kazuto smiled, albeit slightly helplessly. He couldn't decline such a simple thing when he saw her eyes like that. It was like having the possibility of kicking a puppy by accident. You just don't do it.

"Ever heard of a VRMMORPG?" Kazuto said, unknowingly starting off a chain reaction.

"No...?" the amethyst-eyed girl said trying to pronounce the initials in her head. She could tell that it was a tongue twister.

"It stands for Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. You can see why it has initials huh?" Kazuto said, chuckling at the girl's deadpan stare.

After a quick explanation of the VRMMORPG and of the latest project Sword Art Online, Yuuki was enthralled by it. The possibility of actually being able to run around and fight things with her disease made the idea similar to a miracle to her.

That night, Konno Yuuki went home and explained a bit of what she learned from her friend to her family. Her sister was happy that Yuuki was finally smiling on her own and supported whatever Yuuki did. Her mother was wary of the idea since she was Christian and the thought of making an entirely different world was very egotistic to her. But overall, they said that if she got an invitation to join the Closed Beta, she would be allowed to use it. Mostly because her father was fine with his princess smiling.

After registering at the site that Kazuto suggested would up her chances for being on the list of 'random' winners. She slept soundly with dreams of running and being active.

* * *

It was August 1st. Kazuto and Yuuki both got invitations to join the Closed Beta. Suguha was a bit confused to see her 'older brother' hugging a girl about her age but quickly wrote it off as growing up. Although she still felt a tiny bit of jealousy in her heart for the girl.

The pair quickly walked to a store that had saved their Nerve Gears from Argus. Anyone who bought a Nerve Gear was on the list for a possible invitation to join the Closed Beta. Kazuto had officially bought two Nerve Gears the second he heard about that. But he still asked the attendant to hold it for him until the Beta was announced.

Although, Yuuki was quite embarrassed that he bought her a Nerve Gear. She accepted it when she realized there wasn't a way to decline without sounding rude. Although he did get a hug that left both of them slightly blushing.

They were happy that they had the option to pre-order the game so they didn't wait in line for when the official server launched. This time, Yuuki pre-ordered two games while glaring at Kazuto. He simply smiled with a sheepish look. He had at least wanted to buy his own game.

Although, his teasing was definitely worth the blow to his pride.

"Can I hug you this time?" he asked with his smirk on at full force.

He was worried for a short time if it was healthy for an HIV carrier to have so much blood in their face to cause a literal red face.

Konno Yuuki didn't understood why Kazuto was trembling when he randomly reached out and hugged her.

* * *

**Location: Kawagoe City, Japan. Misfit's CEOs Retirement Pad.  
**

Lann had been impressed with the speed that his friends had learned the language. He could tell that they were a bit rough in it still. But they were good enough to actually converse with neighbors now. And they only seemed to be improving.

Morgan had somehow perfected the art of asking for certain types of pizza on the phone. Which was amazing considering they mostly ate what Lann or Alexis cooked, so they only called in for delivery a few times.

Clyde managed to get them all Nerve Gears and they all got invitations to the Closed Beta.

Surprise surprise...

They all shared a laugh at Clyde's expense when he said something about how much hell he had to make and go through to get those invitations.

Seeing Clyde Johnson actually pout was an event that they all had remembered clearly. Much to his chagrin.

Fione had eventually warmed up to Clyde... As in, not wanting to kill him at every corner. But just settling for ignoring him or glaring at him whenever he said something wrong.

He often compared the feeling he got from being watched by Fione to being put on a microscope by a falcon. Not pleasant.

Speaking of which, he had also made some contacts in the police force. And for once they weren't crooks. Just normal police officers who knew him as an okay guy. Although he had hidden in his basement for a week after one of the police officer's daughters seemed to take up a crush on him.

They all agreed that Clyde was good comedic relief in retirement. Although Fione still seemed adamant in placing him as low as she could.

"Today's the day eh fool?" she remarked, making the 'fool' roll his eyes. He had only worn that outfit once! And it was because certain officers decided he needed a drink! The name Buttercup found it's way into Japan, striking it's dictionaries with the reference Clyde Johnson.

"Yes, rude woman. Today is the day that the Closed Beta for Sword Art Online takes place. Apparently, Nezumi-chan also got an invitation. So I will be setting up a little information network online the second I get on. Especially since Nezumi-chan will be helping me officially!" Clyde said, trying not to voice his true opinions on the woman before him.

"You mean the girl who had a crush on you? What's her username going to be?" Lann asked, genuinely curious about the obviously insane girl.

"Argo. But enough about that. Let us hope nothing goes wrong with how we play." Clyde replied.

Everyone went to their rooms and set up their Nerve Gears. Although they could hear someone giggle from upstairs, they just assumed it was Alexis laughing at Lann as he calibrated his Nerve Gear. That assumption would be on the dot.

As everyone sit in there beds they all said two words as a countdown began.

"Link...Start!"

* * *

**Info List (1):Misfits Inc is the name of a book and group I read about a long time ago. It seemed to fit, in my mind.  
**

**And that is a wrap! I'm sorry if I made it too focused on the OCs but I felt the need to explain their situation! Future chapters will constantly switch camera views of the OCs and Kirito.**

**If anyone can give me suggestions, please do.  
**

**Once again, if you have questions about the characters or events just ask, I will most likely answer. If you have an embarrassing question about them, I will almost definitely answer.  
**

**And if you just feel the need to review because you know it's helpful, please do.  
**

**My own personal message to you guys would be to check out certain stories that inspired me to use Sword Art Online as my next fic.  
**

**1-An Empty Life: Hollow Desires by WhizkidHV  
**

**2-Side Stories: Twisted Fates by Flailing Orchid.  
**

**3-Sword Art Online: Prince of Darkness by KaiserBlak  
**

**And 4-The Prince of Swords by ToumaFF  
**

**These are all SAO stories that inspired me the most. They are not in any specific order though.  
**

**Have a good day, comment, review, and have an open mind.  
**

**This is Lann Majra, signing off!  
**


	2. Ch2: The World of Swords, Covered in Sin

**Okay, I have indeed decided to make this story the top of my most active. I don't know how to describe it in the words, but the atmosphere is helping quite a bit. And I feel like I'm rushing Nothing Stops Me Now, because every time I'm writing it I'm thinking about how I'm going to be writing this once it's done. Quite an annoying thought when trying to focus on one thing.**

**An another note, I know that some people are going to be confused about who get's certain skills like Duel Swords or other things. I'll give you a hint, and say that Kirito is going to be doing a style that I KNOW is not on ANY other SAO fan fiction yet. When I thought of this style, I was severely bored and was spinning a pencil in my hand while trying to recap my memories of Avalon Squad. Somehow, Kirito's new style which will be revealed later, like next chapter or further, just popped into my head. Don't ask how my mind works, you'll just get an IOU note :3  
**

**I also have to quote Kirito on a certain phrase. "Sword Art Online is said to have an unlimited number of skills..." While this is just a saying, a rumor, it is actually a good idea to focus so many things in the game besides fighting. So I am going to be branching out slightly with skills. Obviously, since I don't know much about SAO's skill levels and stuff, this is mostly going to be made up. But I will tell you this, expect an Alchemy level that helps brew poisons and potions(Replacing the Medicine Mixing skill). Really, I just thought about all the amazing possibilities an Alchemist in SAO could make. Where do these potions come from? Just randomly dropped from mobs? That makes no sense! An NPC Alchemist? That's cliche! And so I just said FUCK IT! And played Skyrim. :3 Other skills to be looking out for will be Intimidation(Unlocked for Orange players), Picklocking(You know this is needed), Pickpocketing(A special quest is required to start this skill up, and it will be kept secret for reasons you shall see!), and more!  
**

**Please remember that I do not have much knowledge on the "Leveling" system of SAO. If you have any that is more descriptive please tell.  
**

**Now time for a special guest episode that I am going to be doing here as well!  
**

**Me: Hello. Time to bring in a special guest!  
**

***Klein falls in through a hole in the roof*  
**

**Klein: OW!  
**

**Me: Hello**** Ryoutarou Tsuboi****. For now I shall call you Klein!**  


******Klein: Why? And what the heck is this place? And-  
**

*******Klein suddenly stops and looks to the left of Lann*  
**

******Fione: Uhh... I brought pizza...  
**

******Klein: H-Hello! M-my name is Ry-err... Klein! I'm 22! S-single and-  
**

******Fione: Rejected.  
**

******Me: Well, before Klein has a heart attack at such a fast rejection, let's ask a question!  
**

******Klein: Wha- Huh- Why!? *cries a river*  
**

******Me: What is your thoughts on the upcoming game Sword Art Online, Klein? The Beta is done and it's almost time to start lining up at those stores!  
**

******Klein: Sword Art Online? What's that?  
**

******Fione: *Hands brochure*  
**

*******Five minutes later*  
**

******Klein: LEMME OUTTA HERE! I NEED TO GO GATHER FRIENDS AND PLOT A LINE!  
**

******Me: Errr *sweatdrop* Fione open the door before he breaks it... Fione?  
**

*******Looks left to see a dust cloud*  
**

******Me: Oh real original, I don't own anything here except the few things I do that I do not feel need to be named since I don't have patents on any of them.  
**

* * *

******Chapter Two: The World Of Swords Covered In Sin.  
**

* * *

******Location: Kawagoe City, Japan. Random Park.  
**

******Date/Time: November 6, 2022. 10:32 AM.  
**

During the month of «Beta Testing», Kazuto Kirigaya had changed. There was only a few subtle changes with an occasional odd one. But it was noticeable. Suguha Kirigaya had easily noted that the girl he hung out with was the most likely influence, but she could not dislike the results. Sure, deep inside she was a bit jealous that she wasn't the one making the changes but was happy nonetheless.******  
**

Kazuto was not comfortable around strangers. At least, he wasn't before the «Beta». Suguha had always seen how the boy would shift about slightly when talking to someone he didn't know. At times he would have a funny face on that made anyone watching him aware of the awkward silence filling his conversation. But now, he was not shifty. He carried himself more lightly, barely making a sound. And when talking to strangers he seemed more wary than awkward now. It was a huge improvement.

Kazuto did not smile often. Only when something was really amazing did he smile. Again, this was before the «Beta». After it, he would smile at many things. Not really often, but it happened. If he accomplished something, he would give a small smile or smirk depending on the challenge. If he saw Suguha or Yuuki accomplish something he would have a wider smile on his face, always given a smile by either girl in return. He even smiled at the morning sky sometimes. Again, a huge improvement.

However, there was one little problem that he had developed in his time in the «Beta».

"AH!" Kazuto exclaimed in panic, jumping back at least four feet.

Suguha maintained a deadpan face watching him, while internally laughing her ass off. She was holding a small butter knife in her right hand in a very loose manner.

She had managed to sneak up behind her brother, and tap him on his shoulder. Naturally, he looked behind him and saw the butter knife.

That was his reaction.

"Onii-chan, you really need to stop panicking so much when you see a small knife. What happened that made you so jumpy anyway?!" she questioned with a hard look in her eyes, although it didn't make her look intimidating at all, only more cute.

"Ehehe...Sorry Sugu... But that's a secret!" Kazuto replied nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as was his nervous habit. Ever since he met «that guy» in the «Beta», he was jumpy around any type of small pointy object. They were all possible weapons!

The girl with black hair simply rolled her eyes at the response. She had heard it before and was still annoyed at not understanding his sudden phobia for pointy objects. Although, she had noticed that it was only for small objects.

"Where did you get the butter knife anyway?" Kazuto asked his cousin, curiosity and slight fear written on his face.

"I told her that it would be funny to simply bring it with her and scare you all the time!" said another voice, full of mirth and happiness.

The black-haired boy looked behind him and saw a girl with dark, midnight purple hair and amethyst colored eyes. She had a slim figure, most likely due to malnutrition but was necessary for her survival. Her face was losing most of its baby fat already, again most likely due to malnutrition. Despite her beautiful appearance, she was shorter than Kazuto by around half a head because of her age.

"Hello Yuuki, you didn't tell her why I am so wary with those possible weapons, did you?" he asked with a sudden sense of dread, despite the smile of seeing his best friend clear on his face.

Yuuki laughed slightly, but in reality she was trying to hide a shudder. She was not going to recall the meeting with «that guy», no matter how funny it would be to see Kazuto's face when being laughed at by his sister.

"No, I must have forgotten due to the hilarious memory of you trying to swim with your clothes on just to get away from your friends!" the girl responded with a merry voice, clearly happy with herself.

Kazuto sighed, pointedly ignoring the smirking Suguha next to him. Friends. He had made a few friends in the «Beta». It was a small group, but they were close. He was certain that they were family until he was corrected. Heck, one of them was even new to them. Him, Yuuki and their new friends had constantly tried to understand the game and it's mechanics, instead of clearing the floors. They managed to get up to the third floor before continuing their little investigation into the workings of the game.

"We should probably be getting ready to play soon, huh Kazuto-kun?" Yuuki asked, stopping his train of thought.

Absently nodding, Kazuto looked at his handmade watch and started walking out of the park with the two girls following. Suguha had only been out for a light jog and decided to drag Kazuto along. Yuuki had shown up early, walking to his house as she did almost everyday now. Surprisingly, she was very much welcomed in the Kirigaya home. Although, that might have something to do with Kazuto simply not feeling the need to tell Suguha or Midori about Yuuki's condition.

Once they arrived at the house, Suguha had showered and started packing up her kendo equipment. Yuuki and Kazuto had simply gone into the kitchen to get some light snacks before they started into what was no doubt going to be a long time without food.

Suguha was finished with her packing early and was about to go spend the rest of the time talking to her brother. After walking towards his room, she stopped when she heard voices inside.

"I'm still amazed about what we found out in SAO!" Yuuki said with excitement.

"I know. If I wasn't with you and those guys I would probably have just tried to clear the floors like everyone else." Kazuto said, with a warmth that was slightly new to Suguha.

"'Everyone is going to be trying to clear floors that will change in a month, why don't you look for something that won't change' was what that guy said right?" Yuuki asked, remembering a dark-haired boy telling them those words.

"Yeah, and it struck true. Those floors would have changed..." Kazuto's voice was going out of hearing range for Suguha who was annoyed at her brother for trying to play another video game. She wasn't even told this time!

_'But that girl was told apparently...'_ Suguha thought sadly. Taking a glance around at the clock, she decided that it was best to simply leave early.

The black-haired girl put on her shoes and left the house, completely forgetting to say 'goodbye'.

Kazuto and Yuuki didn't notice the door opening and closing. Probably because they were busy talking with each other about their events in the «Beta».

And indeed, it was a thing to talk about. Instead of going through something that would be reset, their group had found something that couldn't be reset.

«Muscle Memory».

In the virtual world, if you practiced a movement a lot, you would get it imprinted into your mind enough so that you could do it almost instinctively and with far greater control and speed. For example, if you were to practice fencing moves in SAO for nine hours(which was possible due to the never-ending stamina) you would almost undoubtedly be able to call upon those skills instantly when in real life. However, the really important part of this was that if you used those skills in SAO, your mind would send the signals at the highest speed it could read. With the practice of the skill being repeated so many times, it was as if your mind was reading a poem, but already knew every single word on the paper.

In other words, practice makes _more _than perfect. It was tested and proven by their group that you could actually surpass the «Sword Skill's» speed with this tactic. And immediately after proving it, they put all of their gear in a hidden chest and started sparring with the «starter gear» repeatedly for days. Kazuto was certain that if he were to get into a fight in real life, the poor opponent he was facing wouldn't last five seconds.

The reason for this was simple. They didn't like the idea of simply extending on one thing. They all branched out with only a few skills being shared between everyone such as «Martial Arts» and «One Handed Swords».

Soon it was almost time to get online and Yuuki left to her house to «jump in».

Kazuto sighed as he looked at the clock. Everything he had done during the «Beta» was amazing. He was always unsocial but somehow those people broke down his unconscious defenses. They were all a bit weird actually. All of them were unsocial in their own ways, as well.

Looking at the clock to his side, having long since put his watch away, he noticed it was about time to log on.

Lightly stretching, he reached over to grab the «Nerve Gear». Slowly, he put the device on his head and turned it on.

Watching the countdown, he mentally ticked off a to do list before saying the last two words his throat would allow that year.

"Link Start!"

* * *

«Kirito» logged on. Looking around, the black-haired man stretched a bit. He put his fingers together and pulled down, bringing up the «Main Menu». Apparently, he had nothing from the «Beta» as he expected. However, just as he was about to close the menu, he got a message.

-Message From: «Yuuki»-

-Hah! I knew you would use that name again! Anyway, we're meeting at «The Silver Wolf Inn» like last time. Cya soon Kirito-kun!-

Kirito smiled softly at the words. Just like Yuuki to be so excited about something so simple. Although, the truth was that he picked that name again just for the sole reason of him being so used to Yuuki calling him it.

He started running towards the «grassland» outside of the «Starting City». However, he probably should have taken it slower to not attract attention.

"Hey! Wait up!" a voice called out to him making him stop. He looked behind him to see a guy in red putting his hands on his knees and taking deep breaths.

"You know that in the game you don't even have to breathe right?" Kirito asked with a raised eyebrow, enjoying how the man looked shocked to hear that info.

"What really?! Cool! So you are a «Beta Tester» then!" the man asked, watching Kirito nod.

The man seemed to get determined somehow and put his hands together in a praying motion. "Please teach me!" he begged.

Kirito mentally cursed.

Seven minutes later «Klein» and Kirito were walking outside of the «Starting City» and into the «Grassland».

"Hey, Kirito-sens-" Klein was interrupted by Kirito.

"Don't call me that." he said curtly, a bit annoyed by the man taller and no doubt older than him calling him sensei.

"Uhh okay? Anyway, why are you using your «starter gear» to get through this?" Klein asked.

Kirito simply shrugged with a small smirk. He knew that this annoyed the man, but he kept it to himself.

"We are going to be going to the edge of the grasslands and taking down a few «monsters» in our way." Kirito stated, making Klein confused at the direction but nod anyway.

Their first encounter was a small blue boar that seemed pretty much harmless.

"That, Klein, is a «Frenzy Boar». It is without a doubt the weakest monster in the game. Let's see if you have the talent to fight it." Kirito said while taking Klein's hand and manually making the red-haired guy flip off the boar.

One of the friends Kirito had made during the «Beta» had found out that flipping a monster off would earn an instant «Hate» affliction for 30 seconds. This was doubted immediately as no one believe Kayaba would do something so... strange.

So after seeing the guy get trampled by thirteen wolves for flipping one off, he was believed. «Argo the Rat» had also found this little piece of info out and laughed for a few minutes after hearing how it was proven.

Klein was unprepared for the little red symbol that popped up next to his health bar and was hit in the stomach by the «Frenzy Boar».

However, this was not the end of it. Because of his «Hate» status effect, Klein was stomped on by the Frenzy Boar for around 25 seconds before it stomped on his jewels one more time and got off. Kirito could be seen laughing his ass off in the background.

Poor Klein got up and noticed he had almost died in that horrific experience.

Kirito taught Klein how to use «Sword Skills» and they fought half way to the edge of the grasslands before taking a short break.

Kirito was messaging Yuuki and his other friends to make sure they were alright, and apparently they were almost at their destination since they met up at the same place. They all laughed at Kirito's new sensei role.

"Hey Kirito, how come you have only been killing wolves by the way?" Klein asked, making Kirito stop checking his stats.

"They drop good items. Their meat is very useful for cooking experience and their teeth are great ingredients for crafting just about anything. Not to mention the special rare drop that they have." the black-haired man responded before he continued allocating skill points and such.

"I didn't know you were a «Blacksmith»! Wow, you're going to be good at everything aren't you?" Klein asked in shock and awe.

Kirito just chuckled and replied, "No, I'm not a «Blacksmith». But some of my friends likes using the skills in their free time since it helps keep everyone in perfect condition. They have probably been collecting the same things while traveling to where we're going."

"Ah, well as much as I would like to continue, I'll probably have to take a couple of minutes for a lunch break." Klein said, looking at the «Clock» at the bottom left of his sight.

"Who eats lunch at 5:20?" Kirito asked in confusion.

"A man who knows what he's doing! I ordered a pizza for 5:30!" He said puffing out his chest with a grin.

Kirito could feel the sweatdrop on the back of his head. He simply chuckled and said, "Pretty thorough."

Klein was grinning ear to ear thinking about his pizza. "Well, I better get going. I'll log on in a bit and find you through that map thingy. Good luck Kirito, I promise you I'll pay you back for this someday. Mentally!" he promised before shaking Kirito's hand and walking away to open his menu.

As soon as Kirito looked away, he heard Klein make a noise of confusion and look back.

"There's... no «Log out» button..." Klein mumbled with a sudden feeling of dread.

"What are you-" Before Kirito could even finish his sentence a bell ringed out from some tower far away.

In seconds, a mass of blue light covered both Klein and Kirito, consuming them and taking them away.

* * *

**Location: Starting City, Main Plaza. First Floor.**

**Time: 5:26  
**

Kirito and Klein had been teleported to the plaza in the «Starting City». There were thousands of people in the plaza, and more seemed to be teleporting in.

"Klein, follow me." Kirito said, motioning to his companion a few feet away from him.

The red-head followed the black-haired teen as he manipulated the «Menu» to bring out a map of some sort, it had several points all grouped together.

Kirito ignored the red checkered sky that was starting to appear, while Klein freaked out a bit but overall ignored it as well. Soon he found who he was looking for.

"Yuuki!" He exclaimed, seeing a black-haired girl with red eyes look in his direction.

"Kirito-kun..." She whispered with a smile on her face. Despite it being small, he could see it even in the giant crowd of people. He walked forward and nodded to the girl after being within five feat, noticing the other five people behind her.

And then, before Klein had the time to ruin everything with a badly place comment, a red blood-like material leaked from the checkered sky.

Instead of falling down like normal things do, this material started taking a form. A shape.

A hooded face rose from the glob of goo. It slowly started forming completely, leaving in its place a twenty-meter figure with some type of bloody robe covering it.

However, we could easily see that the hood covered nothing. Literally, _nothing_. There was no face inside that hood.

**"Players... I welcome you all to my world." **the figure said, in a booming monotone voice that made several people narrow their eyes.

**"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only person who can control this world."**

**"I think that most of you have discovered the fact that the Log Out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug; it is all part of «Sword Art Online's****»** system."  


Kirito could hear Klein repeat the words in a mutter, "A part of the...system?"

**"Until you get to the top of this castle, you cannot log out of your own free will."  
**

Many people tried to cling to some type of hope that another, smaller castle was somewhere close by. There wasn't.

**"...also, the disruption or dismantling of the Nerve Gear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If these things are attempted..."  
**

**"...the signal sensors in your Nerve Gear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all of your basic functions."  
**

Cries of outrage, disbelief, and terror rose through the crowd of assembled players. It was a myriad of sound.

**"To be a little more specific, disconnection from an outside source of electricity for ten minutes, being cut off from the system for more than two hours, or any attempt to: unlock, dismantle, or destroy the Nerve Gear. If any of these conditions are met, the brain destruction sequence will start. These conditions have been made known to the government and the public through mass-media in the outside world. On that note, there have been several cases where the relatives or friends have ignored the warnings and tried to forcefully remove the Nerve Gear. The result..."  
**

**"...213 players have already exited this world, and the real world, forever."  
**

**"Players, there is no need to worry about the bodies you left on the other side. As of this moment, all TV, radio, and Internet media are repeatedly reporting this situation; including the fact that there have been numerous deaths. The danger of having your Nerve Gear taken off has already all but disappeared. In a moment, using the two hours I have provided, all of you will be transported to hospitals or similar institutes and be given the best treatment. So you can relax... and concentrate on beating the game."  
**

More cries of all types of emotions were heard. It was as if they believed yelling would actually solve their problems.

**"But I ask of you all to understand that «Sword Art Online» is no longer a simple game. It is a second reality... From now on, any form of revival in the game will no longer work. The moment your HP reaches 0, your avatar will be gone forever. And at the same time..."  
**

**"...Your brain will be destroyed by the Nerve Gear."  
**

**"Players, there is only one way to be freed from this game. As I have said before, you must get to the top of Aincrad, the one hundredth floor, and defeat the final boss that resides there. All players still alive at that time will be immediately logged out of the game. I give you all my word."  
**

**"Also, I have given you all a gift, delivered to your inventories. This gift shall be your first indication of realization. This world, is now your reality."  
**

Everyone could be seen pulling up their inventories, and selecting said 'gift'. Kirito was hovering his finger over the object that said «Hand Mirror». He was afraid of what was about to happen. There was no way a genius like Kayaba Akihiko would give them a seemingly ordinary item without a reason. Reluctantly, he pressed the button to «Materialize» the object.

That...was when the screaming started. He almost dropped his mirror when he hear all the screams coming at him from almost every direction, he even heard a few gasps coming from his friends, and he saw a few of them widen their eyes.

But none of that was the main focus of his mind. The main focus, was who he was looking at in the mirror. Dark onyx eyes stared back. A very non-masculine face was stretched slightly with shock. Delicate eyebrows were raised in awe. «Kirito» was staring at Kazuto Kirigaya.

No... «Kirito» was staring at Kirito... This reality's Kazuto Kirigaya.

**"You will all most probably be wondering, 'Why.' Why am I —the creator of both the Nerve Gear and SAO, Kayaba Akihiko— doing something like this? Is this a sort of terrorist attack? Is he doing this to ransom us?"  
**

**"None of these is the reason I am doing this. Not only that, but now for me, there is no longer a reason or a purpose in doing this. The reason is because... this situation itself was my purpose in doing this. To create and watch this world is the only reason I have created the Nerve Gear and SAO. And now, everything has been realized."**

**"...Now, I have finished the official tutorial for «Sword Art Online». Players—I wish you luck."  
**

The red cloaked figure fell from the sky, disintegrating into gas that disappeared into the sky.

No sound was heard for a few seconds, before the soft breeze blew by and people could hear the «NPC Orchestra».

Then... People started screaming again.

But this was not the screams that had been heard before. There were still a few hints of disbelief but it was deep under the sound of fear.

Acting quickly, Kirito grabbed Klein's and Yuuki's hands and started dragging them away, calling out the other friends he had been with.

"Follow us guys!" he exclaimed, noticing that all of them responded immediately. They weren't fazed easily, or maybe they were just shell-shocked.

The group of eight made its way through the ravenous crowd of people who were practically going insane. Kirito was intent on leading them to some type of ally. Once hidden in the shadows, far away from the main plaza, they stopped.

"We need to start preparing for a long stay..." Kirito said in a low voice. Everybody nodded, albeit some hesitant.

"Should we go to the Inn right now and then prepare for the next village?" a black-haired teen asked, his dull blue eyes showing nothing. Kirito had to wonder if that was normal for him, or if he was in a type of shell shock still.

Kirito ignored his thoughts and just nodded, agreeing with his friend's idea. He briefly allowed his thoughts to wander as he noticed everyone else nodded too.

But Klein stopped in the middle of his nod and sighed.

"Actually..." He stopped as he noticed all the eyes were on him.

"I... I stood in line all night for this game... I know that they logged in by now and... are probably still in the plaza...I can't leave without them!" he said sounding slightly desperate but trying to hide it.

Kirito's thought were running wild. He could understand the need to protect important people. So just as he was about to agree and tell him to try his best to survive, he was interrupted.

"Fine, I'll go with you and help your friends survive as well." said the same black-haired teen.

Everybody looked at him in either confusion or shock.

"B-but why..?" the girl with green eyes asked, showing shock on her face.

"His friends will probably be shocked and stay here for the night. I have to wait for somethings as well." the teen replied, briefly glancing at the dirty-blonde haired teen with the same dullness in his eyes. Somehow the slightly reddish-brown color mixed with the strange hair.

"Are you sure-" the guy with dark-brown hair and eyes started, but was stopped by the blonde's hand in front of him.

The reddish-brown eyes he possessed seemed to scan his friend for ages, but in reality it was a few seconds. Finally, he nodded. Message understood.

"Better catch up soon... Lann." he said, watching the teen roll his eyes before dragging Klein away back to the plaza.

A few seconds passed by as everyone tried to understand what just happened.

"Lance... Why did you let him...?" the green-eyed girl failed to phrase a question but it was understood.

"He knows what he's doing. Kirito-san, he shall catch up later. Maybe a day or two. Is that alright?" 'Lance' asked the shorter boy.

Kirito was confused by the events but decided he could trust Lance. He could tell that Lance and Lann were practically brothers, in all but blood. And technically, that was debatable.

But that was a story for another day.

"It's fine. He has all of us on his friend's list right?" Kirito asked, receiving a nod from Lance.

"Okay, let's start running to the Inn. After that, we'll wait three days while farming and leveling." Kirito said with determination. They were going to survive. Nothing would get in their way. Quickly, he glanced at Yuuki who was running beside him.

His eyes hardened. _Nothing _would get in their way. He would make sure of that.

* * *

**Location: Starting City, Tri-Lake Inn. First Floor.**

Lann sighed. He had just spent at least 1000 col on Klein and his friend's sleeping arrangements. The Tri-Lake Inn was an Inn at the far back of the Starting City. They decided to rest there on Lann's suggestion, and by suggestion he meant he dragged them their.

He wouldn't spend more money than needed on a one night stay.

The black-haired teen glanced back at the door to the balcony he was on. Instantly, the door opened with Klein stepping out. The red-head walked over to the edge of the balcony to stand next to his 'chaperone' as he had taken to calling him.

"Hey, Lann... Thanks for helping us out..." Klein said sincerely.

Lann simply nodded, keeping his sights on the plaza, a few miles away from the balcony he was on. Klein looked over to it and said, "Still thinking about what he said?"

"No. I'm waiting for someone to appear." Lann said, monotone in full blast. Honestly, Klein had seen more emotions in NPCs.

"Who is going to log on? You heard the crazy guy. Everyone already knows about how SAO is a death trap by now." Klein said with slightly narrowed eyes. He didn't want to have to snap anyone out of some bout of craziness.

Lann barely resisted the urge to roll his dull blue eyes. "I know. But I doubt it would matter." he said, his tone not changed in the least.

Klein looked disbelieving for a few seconds before reluctantly nodding. He briefly looked at the «Clock» to see that it was 6:27.

"So..." Klein looked back towards the side of the balcony, only to see that it was empty.

Hearing the sounds of light footsteps he looked back down the balcony's edge to see Lann running away from the inn and towards the plaza.

Klein would have chased after him, if he wasn't so focused on the tiny little spot of blue light he saw in the plaza. It flicked for a small amount of time, before stopping.

The red-head chuckled. "Heh, he was right..."

* * *

**Location: Silver Wolf Inn. First Floor**

**Time: 8:43 PM  
**

Kirito sighed as he paid for him and his party's admission fee. He had pretty much taken up the entire Inn. But the «Silver Wolf Inn» was a secret place, hidden inside a tunnel under a tree. It was kept secret from any other «Beta Tester» except people directly in Kirito's small group of friends.

Almost everybody in said group was sitting in the main room of the Inn. They were no doubt letting the events of the day play a few more times in their minds. Kirito looked over at the only person not being idle, «Clyde».

The brown-haired man was messaging multiple people by the looks of it. The speed of which he was reading and sending messages was amazing to Kirito, as even he could not do it that fast.

Ignoring the urge to simply walk up to the man and ask what he was doing, he forced himself to be idle as well and stare at the dark ceiling with small decorative stars.

Suddenly, a beeping sound revolved around the room. Everyone had just received a message. Even Clyde who had been busy trying to type a reply to someone else, for whatever reason, had stopped and looked at everyone else.

A few seconds passed before «Morgan» got annoyed with the silence and sighed, before pressing the "+" icon in front of him.

He read the message briefly, before blinking and rubbing his eyes. He tried to read it again, this time though instead of blinking he just started cackling. Something about the message amused him, and the others were hesitant to find out what. Slowly, they all touched the same icon in front of them allowing a small message pop up

-Friend Request from: «Alexis»-

-Added Message: Sorry, I'm late! On the bright side, if we somehow get out of this deathtrap in a month, we can have fresh milk and cereal.-

Nobody moved. Kirito was just now realizing that they were one person short, said person being the girl who had always hung out with Lann. Everyone else was wondering why Alexis was here. The reason she wasn't online until then was because she had decided to buy groceries first. Judging by the message, she knew that already and came anyway.

However, to say 'everyone' was wondering about the event would be incorrect. Lance briefly looked over at Clyde who had glanced at him. They shared a small smirk and nod before chuckling.

The green-eyed girl, «Fione» narrowed her eyes at the sound. "Hey! What's so funny, you two?" she said, in an annoyed tone. Really, since when did Lance become this confusing? Clyde was always that way, did he infect Lance or something?

Lance simply rolled his eyes towards her, meeting her gaze. Slowly he stopped chuckling, but the smirk never faded.

"I told you before, Lann knows what he is doing..." Lance said, amusement flowing in his dull eyes from the shocked looks on everyone's faces. Although, Clyde was just making the face because he found it funny.

Before he even knew what he was doing, Kirito was laughing. He knew that the two were close, but he never guessed that the girl would jump into a death game to join him. The sheer idea of it was almost cliche, but it was hilarious now that he thought of it.

As he continued to laugh away the sorrow that had been placed on his shoulders earlier, he noticed that Yuuki had started giggling at his side. She was obviously trying not to, but the entire event was just too funny. Slowly, everyone else in the room became full of mirth.

After everyone calmed down, they started preparing what they were going to do.

Clyde was the first to put in his opinion, as he was always ready to make a joke.

"Well, I know that I am going to be messaging Lann about the how to turn off the Ethic Cod-" Before he could finish his partial jest, Fione had hit him with a shining cup. Literally, it was shining purple. Kayaba really outdid himself when he made it possible to use the «Blade Throwing» skill with just about anything that can be thrown. When trying it out in the «Beta» their group tried to throw giant things as much as possible to test for bugs. Nothing happened when it came to things bigger then their arm.

"Ouch... That... actually hurt..." said the twitching Clyde who was sprawled against the wall. Something told them that they didn't want to be on the wrong side of Fione's super strength.

Kirito rolled his eyes. This was actually exactly how they acted during the «Beta».

"Okay, I don't think we should be making many plans before we have everyone here. Clyde, who else do we need to invite?" Kirito asked the somehow rejuvenated brown-haired man.

Getting up like he wasn't hit with a teacup going 60 miles an hour, Clyde smirk and brought up his menu.

"I already sent messages to Argo-chan, Lann, and Klein. Should I send one to Alexis as well?" he asked, already in the process of typing the message. Before Kirito even nodded, it was sent.

"Okay, so what are we going to be doing until our friends get here?" Morgan asked in an expectant tone. He was bored now, and wanted something to do. It didn't help that the food prepared in the Silver Wolf Inn, while cheap was sub-par. He didn't feel like eating some tomato soup!

Kirito glanced briefly at the clock on the wall, forgetting about the «Clock» on his 'screen'. It was almost 8:00 PM.

"We better get some sleep. Fatigue is the only thing stopping us at this point, so we need to stock up on sleeping when we can. Also, we can't exactly grind in our location." Kirito said, remembering another reason they liked this inn for.

The Silver Wolf Inn was a great little inn that was underground. It's entrance was a small tunnel inside a tree trunk, that was well hidden. Honestly, they came by the place in «Beta» by pure luck. But that was only the main reason why they liked the place as a base. The other reasons were much more beneficial. It stopped all «Detection» and «Tracking» skills from detecting the place, but it was unknown if it worked against «Pursuit». And the place was literally in the middle of a wolves den. The highest level wolves in the entire floor were in this area and for the first week in the game it would be a great place to stay. However, those wolves got a bit rowdy during the night. Lann had best summarized it as "A pack of giant crazy fucking hamsters on drugs!"

No one argued with him. At least, not after Clyde flipped them off for his little test.

Everyone agreed, although Morgan was still a bit grouchy. It would take time until Lann and Alexis were there and leveling their «Cooking» skill to keep all their morale high. Morgan would just have to wait until they got back and cooked them an amazing dish.

Everyone had their coping mechanisms, and Morgan's was definitely food. Combine that with the fact that he can eat whatever he wants and still keep his body size healthy...

The Cardinal System had just sensed an error in the food production rate of Aincrad... It could not be fixed.

* * *

**Location: Forest of the Wolves Den. First Floor.**

**Time: 12:30 PM  
**

Lann sighed as he watched Klein's group of friends try to fight the wolves. They were getting beaten quite a bit. While they weren't in danger of dying, it was obvious that they wouldn't be able to fight these wolves consecutively. Especially since they attacked and defended in packs.

Giving Klein a nod, Lann watched as the red-head pulled out a beginning Katana gotten from a player merchant in the Starting City. The «Katana» skill was an «Extra Skill», meaning that they could be leveled and/or used at any time without conditions. Unlike the «Rapier» or «Two-Handed Sword» skills which would require a bit of training in the «One-Handed Sword» skill.

Klein had charged into the fray, saving several of his party members with well placed «Sword Skills».

Lann looked over to the side, he could see Alexis taking on small packs of the wolves by herself. She was skilled in fighting already, so he didn't have to worry. But it was still concerning seeing the girl use a One-Handed weapon, when she was already so used to a Rapier. He slowly unsheathed his own sword.

It was the Starter Gear that he got from simply logging on. He still hadn't changed his weapon and that was concerning Klein, but it had only gotten a knowing smile from Alexis.

He tapped the sword with his index finger, watching how a small screen of options appeared. He clicked on the details and looked at the sword's durability. It was still holding strong, but it wouldn't take more than a few fights.

With enough planning, hopefully he could get to the Silver Wolf Inn before it broke. Otherwise, he was going to be fighting with his fists. And while that wasn't completely discerning, he had a major problem with fighting canines with his bare hands. Add to the fact that his favorite animal was the wolf, and he was getting annoyed.

Ignoring the slightly random thoughts pouring through his head, Lann continued to watch the group of amateurs and the sole expert do their jobs. Almost falling asleep from boredom, he looked around for any stray lone wolves. Only to shake his head in disappointment to find that Kayaba had taken lone wolves away from the pack wolves territory. He would kick the guy in the ass for doing that.

Trapping him and his friends in this game? Fine. Making him have to start over in culinary skills with a completely different system? It was getting easy anyway. Taking away his favorite type of animal at it's best form? Fuck that, you're getting your ass kicked!

And it's times like these that make many people think Lann Majra was ADHD.

"Hey Lann-san! Watch out!" One of Klein's friends called out, trying to prepare the commander of the group for the last wolf dashing at him.

It didn't work.

The wolf's teeth sank into the teens arm, making a nasty bleed effect on him. However, despite the cringing of the other members, Alexis just sighed in sadness. Poor puppy was going to die.

Glancing at the strange angered creature with dull ocean blue eyes, Lann was pretty sure the AI was developing a sense of fear. Putting that thought to the back of his head, he quickly reached over the wolf with his other arm, and brought it slamming the other way while grabbing hold of the wolf's face.

**SNAP!**

The sound reverberated around the forest. Everyone, bar Alexis, looked at the teen with awe. The guy was able to snap the neck of a wolf that was trying to snack on him.

Alexis simply rolled her eyes. In real life, where pain was real, it would have been more impressive. In this game, it was simply reaction. Nothing grand. Although, the type of death was a bit strange. She was pretty sure there were no bones in this game, but she simply shrugged it off as a special way to kill certain monsters.

Lann was regrouping everyone and continuing deeper into the forest, not even wondering about the snapping of non-existent bones. Apparently, the move felt a bit to natural to him. Or maybe he was thinking it, but it was buried under another myriad of thoughts.

No one, not even himself, would ever know.

* * *

**Location: Silver Wolf Inn Forest Area. First Floor.**

**Time: 1:47 PM  
**

Kirito sighed as he watched everyone train. They weren't even fighting anything, since the few monsters around their location were dead and would take a bit of time to respawn. So they took the time to get back into their mental muscle memory. Lance was jumping through trees with amazing precision and control. Fione was practicing with her sword, just going through motions. Morgan was... Well, he looked like he was playing around on the ground, but Kirito just shrugged and dismissed it as something secret. That guy was always making great things with crazy ideas.

But none of this was the reason he was sighing. He was sighing due to annoyance. The source of said annoyance being none other than two very joyous people next to him.

"Argo-chan, don't you think Kirito-kun's hair is so adorable!" Clyde said, attempting a fake high pitch. It was obvious that he was being obnoxious.

"No! It's cute, but not adorable. The messy look definitely adds character!" Argo rebuked with a tone that made people wonder if she was serious or not.

They had been like this, ALL DAY! It was driving him up the walls, especially when they randomly got the drop on him when he came out of his room. He literally jumped up the wall.

"Hey, your right. His eyes definitely help the girly face." Clyde said with a self-assured nod. Noticing the poor kid was getting a bit twitchy. He had to contain his laughter, but he threw in a few chuckles.

"Maybe we should put him in a dress!" Argo said with a very happy face on.

Kirito paled quicker than he ever had in his entire life.

"Kirito-kun...in a dress?..." mused a new voice, coming from behind them. They all looked towards the new voice to see Yuuki looking at Kirito with wide sparkly eyes.

Clyde actually felt bad for the teen now. Argo was making several amazing ideas on how Kirito would be able to get out of this, and then making countermeasures should he use those methods.

Kirito just dropped his head down. What did he do to deserve this luck? _WHAT?!_

* * *

**Location: Middle of the Forest. First Floor.**

**Time: 2:08 PM  
**

Alexis almost laughed as everyone was looking at her or Lann with awe. She was slightly concerned that she wasn't as skilled as everyone else, but those thoughts quickly diminished after the first fight.

What she was rolling in mirth about though, was how certain people in Klein's little circle were getting glares from Lann and starting to trip. One guy even tripped on a root and fell face first into mud. Nobody laughed but Klein and Alexis.

Probably because all the others had seen Lann's glaring episode. Extremely protective guy who can snap a wolf's neck, not a guy you wanna piss off. At least, in their eyes, that's how it was. Lann thought he was getting better at glaring and was getting a bit proud. Alexis was giggling at the sudden bounce in his step. And Klein was smiling at the scenery, blissfully unaware of the entire episode.

Shortly after a sudden left turn, the group could hear voices from up ahead.

"I'm telling you, we should just wait for them." a calm voice said, with a hint of annoyance.

"And I'm telling _you_, that it's getting boring and late. If they don't get their asses over here quickly, we're hunting them down!" came the reply of an angry teen.

The group came to a clearing where they could see a short-haired person with Asian features glaring at a short black-haired teen. They were both around the same height, but that only made the sight more funny because they were both short.

"Look! There they are!" said a happy voice full of joy and relief. This was obviously Yuuki, the two Beta Testers thought.

And the amethyst eyed girl came into sight from behind the short teens, although she was only slighter shorter than them. Rushing in between the bickering pair, the girl pointed towards the large group of people wearing mostly red.

In the background, you could see Lance nodding with approval in his eyes. But focusing on the main picture, you could see the distaste in Lann's eyes.

The group was happy to be with more people, although they first looked towards their friend/leader's approval. After seeing the man try to hug several of the girls, and getting punched by several people, they smiled.

"Yo Morgan, you trying to use us as an excuse to grind? Or are you just sick of waiting for food?" Lann asked with a sense of nonchalance. It was obvious that he would be great in a poker game. Too bad he forgot how to play said game.

The Asian-like teen looked over at the black-haired newcomer before smirking. "Both! Where's the food?!"

It was sad how much pride Lann had in himself for not rolling his eyes.

Alexis shook her head sadly and said, "Sorry but we have been using most of the time to get here. Food is going to be cooked in a few minutes."

Morgan groaned in discontent. It was obvious that he liked the pair's cooking, so most of the talking started revolving around how can two players be so good when they are just starting. Beta Tester or not, you need Levels to do everything good in this game.

After hurrying all the players into the The Silver Wolf's Inn, Lann persuaded the NPC innkeeper to let him and Alexis use the kitchen. He was very happy that he was good in conversations, because persuasion was a grand art against NPCs in this game.

While everyone else was talking, Morgan went back to doing some training. Ignoring the rest of the world, he started doing some katana moves. Most of the people ignored him, since the Inn was large and nobody was paying attention to him. Klein looked over at the short-haired teen and had a bit of envy in his eyes. It was obvious to him that the kid was far better at using the Katana than him.

Shortly after Morgan was done practicing, a call was heard from the kitchen.

"Lunch is ready!" chimed a light voice.

Alexis and Lann came out of the kitchen with their menus out. They each «Materialized» the food on plates and everybody looked at their food in awe. Their had to be at least 30 people in the room yet, they were all given the same amount of food.

But what really amazed them all, was how good the food looked. They each had some type of meat that resembled ham but was darker and had some green seasoning on it, with a small side of what seemed to be mashed potatoes. Both of which was covered in a thick grey sauce that you could tell was gravy from the smell.

Morgan was already digging in, while everyone else was a bit confused about why the sauce was grey. After explaining that the food in this game was different, they all dug in as well. Morgan seemed satisfied(for the moment) about the food. Probably just because he hadn't eaten what he called a SAO styled meal in a while.

All the people who mattered(offense intended towards canon fodder :3) were sitting in one table. The table was easily the biggest in the room, but everyone seemed content to let them use it, probably because Klein was okay with it.

They all ate quickly, not as quickly as Klein or Morgan though. Immediately, they started talking about what they were going to do.

"Okay guys, what's the plan for all these fools?" Morgan asked, ignoring the disgruntled look that Klein sent him.

"Well, I have a plan but it's kind of... Risky." Lann said, unknowingly making them all stare at him to continue. He blinked and tried not to sigh in frustration.

"We make a guild, appoint each of us as sub-leaders that own a division to the guild. We vote for an official leader that makes the guild, and then start becoming the best guild in all of SAO." Lann stated his simple idea, already knowing that Morgan and Fione would agree.

Without a doubt, three hands raised. He blinked at Argo's hand but just glanced at the rest of the people present. They seemed to be processing it, but he was certain that Kirito and Lance were trying to think of other measures while accessing the credibility to his own.

"What about how the group makes a major decision that will affect it as a whole?" Kirito asked, hoping their would be no power struggles.

Lann shrugged and said, "Each sub-leader can hold a single vote. Official leader holds two?"

Everyone nodded at that. It was pretty decent, and the official leader wasn't able to start making monarchy. But several of them saw flaws in what they could do if one leader was missing.

"What about if somebody is unavailable?" Morgan asked, trying not to use the word 'dead' as he knows people would complain.

"Chain of command for each division?" Lance suggested, making Lann's eyes lit with approval. He didn't want to be the only person thinking this. Again, everybody nodded at that. They could make the command chain later.

Kirito looked over everyone and asked, "What about drops?"

"You keep what you get." replied Lann, Morgan, Lance, Fione, and Argo at the same time. Kirito smiled.

"Anything else we need?" Morgan asked, ready to make up a random ass name.

"An official leader. We each have one vote, and we can't vote ourselves." Lance responded, with everyone nodding.

Lann voted, "Lance."

"Clyde." Morgan mused, he knew that Lann wouldn't take the job.

After a quick glance around the table Alexis said, "Yuuki-chan."

Klein simply voted what was his obvious choice, "Kirito."

Fione looked at everyone and voted, "Lance-kun."

Lance voted, "Lann." He could see Lann glaring at him afterwards.

"Kii-bou!" Argo voted, with a wide grin. She could see that Kirito was not liking his votes.

Clyde just shrugged and flipped a col. After looking at it he said, "Lann." Said person started glaring at his coin.

Kirito immediately voted, "Lance-san."

"Kirito-kun." said Yuuki, putting in the person she trusted most.

Tallying all the votes Yuuki said, "Tie between Lance and Kirito-kun. Everybody who didn't vote for one of them now has to pick one."

Morgan shrugged before saying, "Kirito." He trusted Lance as a fighter. But the guy was too emotionless to be a leader.

Alexis sighed and said, "Lance." She knew him like a brother. The teen lead them to victory while following morals.

Lance actually smirked. "I voted for Lann, but since I can't vote for myself I have to vote for Kirito-san. Congratulations, Kirito-san."

Everybody joined in on the congratulations, while Lance continued to smirk. He knew that Kirito was trying not to glare at him.

"Okay what about a name?" Morgan asked, forgetting his random ass names and trying to rethink them.

Kirito smirked before speaking, "Lance-san, you were second voted. How about you make the name?"

Everyone looked towards him, and he was a bit annoyed at the redirection. Remembering to get Kirito back, he quickly searched his thoughts for a group name.

He suddenly remembered a game that he played three times on the PSP(A very old system in this world) because of how well the plot was.

"«SOLDIER Corporation». SOLDIER Corp(pronounced Soldier Core) for short." The dirty blonde-haired teen replied. He saw confusion in their eyes, but noticed that Lann had recognition and was chuckling. Kirito was as well. Looks like he wasn't the only person who enjoyed old games.

"«SOLDIER Corp»... Nice name." Clyde said, liking the simplicity.

Morgan grumbled. He wanted something epic and made on the spot.

Klein shrugged. He was probably gonna name it off an anime.

Alexis, Fione, and Yuuki didn't really understand but didn't care either. Whatever the name was, they would represent it until it was in gold plating.

"Okay then. Kirito get to work on making that guild." Morgan said, before he got up and started practicing in the corner.

It took Kirito three minutes to make the guild, and he was pleased with it. Despite the fact that he was basically forced into the position, he knew that he had to try no matter what.

The symbol of the guild had a black background with a grey pointed shield in the middle of the flag. Two white swords crossed each other on top of the shield. It was simple, but he was certain it would last.

Quickly sending invites to everyone, he watched as Morgan stopped in the corner and prepared to accept. Everybody else stopped what they were doing and did the same. He started making ranks. Leader. Sub-Leaders. Commanders. Lieutenants. And then basic Infantry. You didn't rank up much in this group. It's sole purpose was to clear the floors and help people in need of help out.

The leader and sub-leaders had the same job. Control their own divisions. They could pick a second in command that would be in charge of everything should they be out of reach, their Commanders. Lieutenants were people who helped out with leading the division under the Commanders. Infantry was everybody else. The canon fodder. The grunts.

Everybody accepted this system. They weren't making this group for prestige. If you were a part of this group, then you were already making a name for yourself.

Klein sent his people invites and made a side note in the Data Log he was given as part of the guild. He put every person in his division down on the Log and pressed Send. The leaders got the log and found that nobody but Klein could edit his report. Only Kirito could delete it, which made them happy. This would be a great and easy way to keep track of the divisions.

They each discussed a focus of their division.

Kirito, Yuuki, Klein, and Lance wanted battle divisions, which was understandable and everyone agreed. They would be swords of the guild. Lann and Alexis wanted support divisions(making potions, food, stuff), and everyone agreed and were grateful to have such things. They would be the suppliers. Morgan wanted a tank division, which everyone was happy to compliment. He would be the sole shield of the guild. Clyde and Argo wanted espionage groups focused on information gathering and sneaky things such as poisons. They would be the eyes of the group. And Fione wanted a social division, based on protection of the other players who were outside of the guild and merchants who would help them. She would be the face of the guild.

They were each happy with their roles, but accepted that they were allowed(and expected) to branch out into other territories. Can't control everybody, can they?

On the second day of SAO, the guild «SOLDIER Corp» was born. It's future was unknown then, but would soon be something its leaders could be proud to honor.

* * *

**And that's a wrap for now. I wanted to get more into battle and stuff but I knew I would have to get everything started. I honestly think I rushed through the beginning but I can't help feeling that it was boring to you guys/girls too.**

**If you have any questions regarding a character or the group, etc. Just ask in a review, and I will most likely answer.  
**

**Please review and tell me what you think. I know I have bad grammar but play along! It's still legible!  
**


	3. Author's Note

**People of fan fiction... My readers. I have good news and bad news. First off, I am NOT abandoning any stories. So you can relax with that. However, the bad news is that my update speed is no longer... expected.**

**My update speed will be random and unpredictable from this point on for two reasons.  
**

**Reason Numero Uno, being that my life is busy. I'm hanging out with my surrogate family a lot more lately because we're getting bored of this town. I wish to play some video games or online games as well. Combine that with the unnecessary effort I put in other activities and I can only save a bit of time with this site. However, when I do write, I normally write over 5000 words per session. Which is rather large compared to what I have seen. So my stories will still be active and hopefully updated often. However, I can no longer promise each story to be updated within a month. I can promise that I plan for SAO:GOTH to have a new chapter this month, but not Naruto:NSMN or Avalon Squad.  
**

**Reason two is a more personal reason. Plot bunnies have taken over this hosts brain. We, the plot bunny union, demand that our ideas be used! NOW! *shakes Lann's head before temporarily losing control*... Ouch... Anyway, as you can see I have a bad case of plot bunnies. I took too little of the medicine(Slipping in their ideas) and now they are resistant. So I am going to make... *pauses for suspense* ...MORE stories for people to complain about! I very much doubt I could handle more stories with an expected update time. To be honest, I am dying to use the ideas I am having right now. Lex is also excited in reading and Beta-ing my new works. If you want some ideas of what I am going to do first, check my challenges on my profile.  
**

**First things you all can expect, is a Pokemon and Persona 4 story. I am most likely going to be using my Darkened Leaves, Don't Be Afraid challenge and my Against All Odds challenge. These ideas are the main factions of the plot bunny tribes within my brain. Damn bastards... They no leave! And they're smart, so they don't go near my heart. They know if they do that, they will burn! Only Lex can mess with that organ!  
**

**And now as a recap of what is happening.  
**

**Bad news: You guys don't get a definite update speed.  
**

**Good news: You guys get more stories to read if you like the stories I make.  
**

**And also on another note. I have noticed that I go into stories believing that everyone knows what I am talking about. This is a terrible mistake. I must make the story far more realistic. Sure, this is a fan fiction, but quality fan fictions show so much detail that someone who hasn't even seen the anime can understand and love the story. In response, I hope you people enjoy my latest stories.  
**

**This is the Silver Flare, Lann Majra, signing off.  
**


	4. Ch3: The Calm Before A Greater Storm

**Okay, I'm back and disappointed. I had thought that people would be happy to see the last chapter, yet I don't think I got anymore then 2 reviews from previous reviewers, counting Morgan. I do thank those that did talk, and give their opinion.**

**For example, Aelita16 had given me a little piece of info. Apparently, guilds weren't available until the fourth or fifth floor. Looking back, she(Assuming by the name) is correct. I do apologize as now I feel like I rushed that even more, but oh well right? However, I do have a hole in that logic. The Aincrad Liberation Force was made on floor one as well. First day too. So that's a plot hole. TROLOLOLOLO!  
**

**I am happy that some reviewers will review just to state how happy they are :3 Example: Dechirures  
**

**And, just so you guys know, KaiserBlak has updated his story title of Sword Art Online: Prince of Darkness. It is now named Seraphim of the Starless Knight.  
**

**Also, a Guest had asked me to make an OC List for my friends, which now that I think about it, is a good idea. So, instead of a giant ass starting conversation like I normally do, I shall make a long ass list of info! :D  
**

**Please skip if you don't want to know about this stuff.  
**

* * *

**~Lann Majra(Me!)~  
**

**Hair: Dark Brown, constantly confused for Black. Mixture between bedraggled and just plain messy.  
**

**Eyes: Dull Dark Blue(In the dark, you would confuse my pupil for my iris)  
**

**Outfit style: Black, Silver, Blue. Similar style of Kirito/Kazuto online and offline mixed together. In other words, Casual mixed with Practical.  
**

**Default Facial Expression: Deadpan  
**

**Relationships: Lance(Surrogate Brother), Fione(Surrogate Sister), Clyde(Best Friend), Alexis(Lover), Morgan(Great Friend), Kirito(Good Friend), Yuuki(Friend).  
**

**Attitude: Mostly repressed, with short bursts of emotional output. Shows randomness as a mask to amuse himself. Greatly effective.  
**

**Notes: Takes many things to the extreme, has an obsession with his bonds, and will most likely put himself in danger for things that seem unnecessary just for him to explain how it was perfectly necessary. Also has a habit of messing with people's minds, only the partially crazy can be in a close relationship to him, or risk becoming partially crazy.  
**

**~Lance Viren~  
**

**Hair: Dirty Blonde, almost hazel...Mixture between princely and combed down.  
**

**Eyes: Brown, with c****entral heterochromia(It looks like the secondary color is red, but that is most likely just a pigmentation of a vivid brown. Just call it red).**  


******Outfit style: Crimson, Gold, Black. Athletic to Trench coat. Makes Practical look Casual.  
**

******Default Facial Expression: Slight Scowl.  
**

******Relationships: Lann(Surrogate Brother), Fione(?), Clyde(Friend), Alexis(Good Friend), Morgan(Acquaintance), Kirito(Friend), Yuuki(Friend).  
**

******Attitude: Almost completely repressed. Due to the emotional system in SAO, he will sometimes smirk unknowingly.  
**

******Notes: Very prideful. If you insult his friends or his pride, he will not just defeat you, he will humiliate you. Despite pride, he is rather sneaky and underhanded. The best way to understand his pride is to make it akin to an Assassin's pride.  
**

******~Clyde Johnson~  
**

******Hair: Dark Brown. Washed and combed down.  
**

******Eyes: Brown.  
**

******Outfit style: Black, Green. Casual with bouts of Regal.  
**

******Default Facial Expression: Slight Smirk.  
**

******Relationships: Lann(Best Friend), Fione(Rivals), Lance(Good Friend), Alexis(Surrogate Sister), Morgan(Friend), Kirito(Acquaintance), Yuuki(Acquaintance).  
**

******Attitude: Slightly cocky, mixed with amusement. Try to mix Izaya Orihara(Views) with Kisuke Urahara(Antics) and Argo(Outward Expression).  
**

******Notes: Despite being seemingly normal compared to his friends, he is probably the most dangerous one in mentality. One second he could be a perfectly normal guy, the next he could be a joking spy, and before you know it he's a laughing maniac that no psychologist in the world would allow you to sit next to. The strange part, is that it's not a personality disorder.  
**

******~Alexis Yuria(My Beta!)~  
**

******Hair: Black. Long, reaching to a bit below the neck.  
**

******Eyes: Blue, although I say Sapphire.  
**

******Outfit style: Black, White, Blue. Casual or Regal, always mixed with Practical. Any dress she wears will be battle ready.  
**

******Default Facial Expression: Small Smile.  
**

******Relationships: Lann(Lover), Lance(Surrogate Brother), Clyde(Good Friend), Fione(Surrogate Sister), Morgan(Friend), Kirito(Acquaintance), Yuuki(Friend).  
**

******Attitude: Two sided coin of kindness and joking. Sometimes the coin melts into a sphere. The coin is also sentimental and has philosophy on it. Best way to describe her attitude without her Beta-ing it out D:  
**

******Notes: Kind to those who deserve it. Slightly on guard to neutrals, but nonetheless still kind. However, anyone who crosses her or her friends will not get anything but steel. Prefers peace over violence despite this.  
**

******~Fione Stiles~  
**

******Hair: Brown. Normally, in an almost hime cut. But, really, it changes too often.  
**

******Eyes: Green  
**

******Outfit style: White, Pink, Green, Blue, Gold, Silver. Err...To put simply, stereotypical French... which somehow works...  
**

******Default Facial Expression: Smile.  
**

******Relationships: Lann(Surrogate Brother), Lance(Romantic Interest), Alexis(Surrogate Sister), Clyde(Evil), Morgan(Stranger), Kirito(Stranger), Yuuki(Acquaintance).  
**

******Attitude: Joyful and optimistic. Adventurous with a small attention span. Intelligent, but easily bored.  
**

******Notes: Most likely the most normal person in the group. Although, she has a 'slight' hatred towards Clyde Johnson, she is very free-spirited towards friends. For the most part though, she will ignore you if you don't peak her interest.  
**

******~Morgan Sieler(He's also a reader who is always reviewing thankfully)~  
**

******Hair: Black. Short, slightly spiky  
**

******Eyes: Black  
**

******Outfit style: Black, Blue, White, Grey. Casual, normally long and covering.  
**

******Default Facial Expression: Slight Frown.  
**

******Relationships: Lann(Good Friend), Lance(Friend), Alexis(Acquaintance), Clyde(Friend), Fione(Stranger), Kirito(Acquaintance), Yuuki(Stranger).  
**

******Attitude: Slightly pessimistic, although otherwise joking and witty. Likes to pretend to be modest, and then boast the second he's on the spotlight.  
**

******Notes: Eats enough to cause major damage to the whole of Aincrad and Cardinal. When confronted about if he ate food, he will proudly say that he did. Despite the annoyance he causes doing so, he is a rather good comedic relief from the daily tension of SAO. Hides intelligence behind a mask of a fool around people he doesn't trust.  
**

* * *

******Chapter Three: The Calm Before A Greater Storm.  
**

* * *

******Location: Tolbana Town, Aqua Tear Inn.**

The town of Tolbana. It was a beautiful place, around 200 meters wide with glorious fountains spread across the town. Surrounded by windmills and cloaked in the heavenly sound of the «NPC Orchestra» playing their song.

It was depressing to practically every single player there.

Almost everyone was still surging in grief over the death game that they had been trapped in. Some were grieving their lost comrades. It would make sense that a lot of them were doing that. It had been almost a month since the game started, and during that time a bit over 2000 players have died.

Strangely enough though, not everyone in the town was depressed. No, definitely not everyone.

"So~ooo~! What are we doing today, Kii-bou?" a slightly high pitched voice rang in the dark.

Wincing at the sudden noise directed in his ear, he calmly glanced around the room to see the leaders of 'his' guild, «SOLDIER Corp». They had all slightly changed from their journey to this town, but nothing too noticeable.

The real changes were underneath their appearances, in their skills.

They had just arrived at the town today, after spending most of the last month in «Horunka Village». Being the kind leader he was, Klein had ordered his men to get some shuteye while the leaders talked about plans. Well, to them that's what it was. The truth was that Lann had whispered to Klein about their noise problems, which would cause problems with himself. Taking the thinly-veiled threat for what it was, Klein made the best of the situation.

"Depends on what info your willing to share today, Argo." Kirito replied, trying not to glare at Clyde. The brown haired man simply whistled innocently before Lann elbowed him with a glare. The poor guy's sense of hearing had dramatically improved in the Virtual World, and that combined with his already amazing sense of sound lead to easy headaches. Even in the entire month since the game started, he still got a few headaches from sound.

Argo smiled sweetly, too sweetly mind you, at Clyde who just grinned and nodded. The collective thought of these movements was to prepare for something shocking, as something planned by those two evil geniuses could only be the stuff of nightmares.

"Well... I just so happen to have info on a new group which has over 700 members in it, the next part of our plan to help every single person in Aincrad with survival information while still holding onto our personal info, the info for the publicly known top class player's levels, and a few quest to complete in this city! Other than that, nothing really." she said with that sweet smile that was threatening to split her face, almost doubling over when she saw everyone's shocked faces. Even Lance and Lann had widened eyes at that.

Clyde was not so kind.

Shortly after breaking out of his stupor, Lann had to kick Clyde a few times while the man had been rolling on the floor laughing insanely. The scene served to make a few other people chuckle, while Fione asked if she could help. After a pouting Fione crossed her arms at Lann's flat out 'No', Kirito decided to ask Argo for the info.

"First things first, what's up with this large group? 700 members is not logical for the first floor." he asked, with a slight narrowing of his eyes.

"Relax Kii-bou! The guild is called the Aincrad Liberation Force, their main goal is to clear Aincrad. Their pretty much the Salvation Army right now, but I don't think they can stay that way for long. It's leader is a man named «Thinker» who has noble goals, and no hidden agenda. After he convinced a large amount of people to join and stop jumping off the edge of the world, more people flocked to him like a prophet." Argo explained nonchalantly, ignoring the sweatdrops forming on everyone's head barring Clyde.

Kirito shook his head exasperatedly. If Argo said the man had no hidden agenda, he most likely didn't. The girl had a natural sense of correct paranoia that even Clyde said was pretty much unnatural. That contradiction annoyed Kirito a bit but he understood it.

Deciding to move on he asked his next question. In a deadpan voice he asked, "Okay, so what is this plan of yours?..."

He hadn't been informed of the first part. Or likely he was exhausted and taking a nap... in the middle of the day.

Smiling like Christmas came early, Argo pulled out her inventory and materialized a book with a green cover. Handing the book over to Kirito as if it were the solution to all of their problems, she sauntered back to her seat.

Kirito could only raise and eyebrow at the mouse-like girl before looking at the book in his hands.

«Strategy Guide By SOLDIER Corp F1V2»

Somehow, he had already disliked the thing. Although, he had no idea what the 'F1V2' meant.

Quickly reading through it as if it were only a few pages long, when in fact it was at least 100 pages. He changed his opinion of the book. This thing had the basic quest information, instructions on how to use Sword Skills, and even strategies for farming and fighting. While it wasn't showing anything that would make people too strong, it would definitely allow them to survive as long as they heeded the first words on every chapter, BE CAUTIOUS.

He chuckled at Argo's rather rigid drawing of the first floor map. It was legible, but it would definitely annoy some people. Or maybe the little whisker marks at the side of the page would do that.

Handing the book back to the girl, he nodded his approval and asked, "So what are you going to do with it?..."

It seemed he was unaware of the F1V1 book that was made on the first day of the death game.

Smiling like cat, Argo replied easily. "Books that are met with the AOS(Aincrad Official Seal) can be copied for half the price of the book itself. However, when I got the seal for this book I put in the prize of zero col. Copies are free. Clyde-kun and I sold at least 500 of them to every shop on the first floor."

At that moment, the floored Clyde decided to make a comment. "Wasn't easy either... Damn books may be free but they still have weight."

Nobody cared that Fione idly kicked the prone body. Just like nobody cared that the body spoke.

"Okay... So everybody in the game should know about this book, and by extension our guild?..." Lann asked, not exactly liking the fame.

"Yes, but we have already accounted for the facts that some people may be jealous of us. We already put our names forth as Beta Testers, but no one else in SOLDIER is known." Clyde said, in a rare moment of seriousness.

Everybody nodded at that. Beta Testers were accused of being selfish and cruel as most of them left during the first day on their own. They were publicly famous for taking the best farming spots and just generally being accused of the deaths of every single player so far. To simply state that you were a Beta Tester in that guide was putting your credibility on the line. If it worked, SOLDIER would be a safe haven for Beta Testers, and if it didn't they would be socially shunned.

Honestly, Lann could see the ups and downs of both possibilities.

Strangely enough, everyone else did too. They had to come out with it straight up. Next edition had their names as well.

Klein just nodded with happy tears in his eyes. His friends were so cool!

"We can do the quests in the morning. Lets compare our stats to the best players in public." Kirito said, changing the topic.

Argo grinned once again. "The top players actually are lower than our own levels. The highest of them is a level 11 who had leveled today. Also, it seems that there are now two ways to unlock a skill."

They all had their attention focused on Argo who had begun explaining.

"The most basic way is to spend a Skill Point, or SP, into a skill and it automatically gives you the starter skills. However, this is only the easiest way. Each skill has set conditions that can be met to unlock without the use of SP. Very useful for us since we want to save our SP for other skills. For example, Lann and Alexis had not actually possessed the cooking skill before they used the stove at our inn."

The Silver Wolf Inn had practically become their possession by that time.

"Afterwards, they were able to level it up slightly but could not even get the sole starter skill which decreases burn chances. So the conditions of the Cooking skill is to simply cook a meal. Also, the exp put into these skills is low until they unlock the starter skills."

Argo was pretty much done explaining. Everything else was unfolding in their heads. Basically, if someone actually did not have the Rapier skill, as long as they practiced with the Rapier enough and defeated enough monsters, they would unlock it. It just took a LOT longer than usual.

It was actually pretty fair.

But with this knowledge in their hands, it was overpowered.

Kirito only started reevaluating everyone's skills and changes now that he had this new piece of information. And he was slightly shocked at the results.

In Sword Art Online, their were five key stats that could be upgraded via status points, which were given with each level up, unlike SP which was given every five levels.

These five stats were Strength, Vitality, Agility, Dexterity, and Luck.

Strength was one of the most useful. It allowed the players body's natural strength to increase with each point. However, this would not be without control. Their was a conscience thought that allowed a player to tap into their Strength stat and add more physical force to things. It also made weapons seem lighter to the wielder.

Vitality was a must have for any player. It increased health points, or HP with each point. While also increasing the player's natural defense when combined with Strength. This also allowed a player to get rid of a negative status quicker depending on the status and strength of it. For example, a low level poison could be dealt with quickly or even ignored with a high Vitality player, but a Curse would not go away easily.

Agility allowed players to flex their body's easily. While it seemed useless, it was actually a pretty nifty skill. Combined with strength it would allow people to aim for weak points much easier in fights and it also helped with numerous passive skills. You must also not forget that because of the fact that this is a Virtual World that people can't 'get fit'.

Dexterity was very useful. It increased accuracy of Sword Skills and critical ratio. Not to mention it increased a players eyesight. Along with the fact that it helps almost every single skill in the game, it also allowed people too briefly 'resist' a Sword Skill, in the manner of slightly altering it in mid-activation. This made it extremely desirable. Combined with Agility would increase your speed much like your Strength does to natural power.

Luck was probably the best skill of them all, or the worst. Sword Art Online was governed by the system for the most part but it kept tabs on everyone. So it wasn't unbelievable to think that the system really did use a «Chance Optimizer» like it said it did. However, most people just shrugged it off as some simple bad luck. Those people didn't last long. Luck increased drop chances, critical ratio(on both yourself and enemies), accidental booby trap disablement, and even enemy mishaps. Bad luck could do the exact opposite.

Each player had their own way of doing things and the leaders of SOLDIER Corp was no different. They all had chosen their own paths.

Kirito had chosen a rather balanced but offensive build. He put a majority of his points in STR(Strength) and VIT(Vitality). After that he added a bit into DEX(Dexterity). Placing only a few in AGI(Agility), because of his already flexible body. He put the rest in LUC(Luck) which was actually a rather good amount. At level 15 he now carried his «Anneal Blade +4» which was his upgraded quest reward for completing a quest in Horunka Village. He wore pretty much the same armor he did when he started playing with only a few unnoticeable accessories on.

Yuuki had went along with a speed build with good balance. She put a majority of her points in DEX which would no doubt have her hitting criticals the most often of the group. After adding some in STR and VIT, she placed an even amount of both in LUC and AGI. Her body was actually pretty flexible due to it's small state, so she focused on speed. Now at level 14 she wielded a One Handed sword as well. Despite the fact that she had been trained into a Rapier user, she insisted on also using a One Handed weapon to make up for strength. Her very own «Anneal Blade +4» was glistening at her hip. She wore a dark battle dress with silver lines of armor along the sides of the skirt and shoulders, slightly displaying the steel brassier that hugged her chest like a frilly shirt instead of a piece of armor.

Klein had actually looked pretty much the same but had focused on a build perfectly balanced. He put in points to everything just about equally, occasionally adding an extra point in STR or DEX. He expected to be a well rounded player.

Argo had put most of her points in DEX and LUC, which made people think twice about betting against her. She didn't seem like the type to fight but she was deadly with smaller weapons such as daggers or throwing knives. She added a bit of her points into STR while putting the smaller minority in AGI and VIT. Her body was already small and flexible. Not that many could tell with how she wore a hood and cloak that covered her entire form except her slightly puffy face.

Alexis went a similar route to Klein in points except adding more into VIT and DEX. And she was probably the only vanilla Rapier user in the entire group. She normally stuck with a long rapier. She wore the same starter clothing from before with slight armor lining the sides and shoulders. However, a silver tiara rested upon her head. This tiara was a «Rare Item» she got from defeating roaming Kobolds, called «Fortuna». Fione laughed at the name while Lann smirked. The effect was rather simple. Completely 50-50 chance at the «Chance Optimizer» whenever it occurred. So she never put a single point into Luck.

Fione channeled most of her points in DEX since her body was extremely fit and didn't need AGI. A small portion was placed into STR. The rest were shared between LUC and VIT. Her Strength may not have been amazing, but her speed with a Rapier kept people at distances. The strangest part about her style was that she also used a shield. Normally, Rapier users abandoned the shield for more speed, but she simply kept it on her back when not using it. She was dressed much like Alexis except with a small beret on her head completely for decoration.

Morgan's path seemed to be the strangest. He put a lot of his status points into VIT and STR. Afterwards adding a the rest into LUC and AGI. Not a single point went into DEX, and he seemed content with it. He was the only one wearing Heavy Armor which was a pain for Alexis and Lann to make. The armor was something they affectionately called «Penguin's Blubber», in that it was made from penguin residue from bought ingredients. Strangely enough, the leftovers of a cooked meal was used for what had to be the most affective armor in the game currently being used. He was also the most skilled person with the Katana, Klein trying his best to keep up with him.

Lance's chosen path to glory was no doubt the most confusing. Putting a ton of points into DEX and LUC, with a small amount going into STR and VIT. Nothing in Agility. Despite his clearly speed built stats, he did not even have a «Main Weapon». In fact he was one of the only two people who didn't use the favored «Sword Skills» in the game, relying purely on his speed and muscle memory. However, that combined with the fact that he carried over seven types of weapons on him at all battle times, made him a fierce opponent since he could use them all as skillfully as though they were his main weapon. Wearing his starter armor, again slightly reinforced. The things that made him stand out were the long pole-arm across his back, with two different types of swords crossing it in the crevice of his back. Along with the two swords that were at his hips and the hidden knives that he had in his shoes, sleeves, and tied around some of the hilts and sheaths, which made him look pretty much like a hulking weapon boy. He was without a doubt the most expensive player in their team, but also the most effective. When he went into the battlefield, the morale of the crew would jump to levels that made them feel almost religious.

Lann's choices were by all means, the craziest. Putting almost all of his points in STR, he add a what little left he had into VIT and DEX. He didn't put a single point in either AGI or LUC. His reasoning was rather sound. His body was forcefully flexible due to a certain _someone's _training. He said this while glaring at Fione. The dark haired teen continued on his point about also having the worst luck out of all the members and having to resort to intelligence and underhanded tricks in gambling to break even. After the rest of the group's wary nods, Kirito actually felt a bit of pity for the teen. He had some reinforced armor, which was still the starting armor as only the next floor would have armor stores. However, the teen still held onto his Starting Sword which had been repaired so many times that he had lost count. Never switching it out for anything, he kept it on him almost at all times. It honestly scared Klein even more for the safety of the teen's sanity. However, upon seeing the teen slash out at monsters and cut almost every foe in half which was fatal no matter how you looked at it, he shut his mouth. Sure, Sword Skills were better. But the dark haired teen and Lance may just be better without them than with them. They both complained about how it felt unnatural to allow something else control their bodies.

The only people who had skills outside of battle or tracking were Lann and Alexis, who had taken to a forge outside of the tower on the first floor instantly. Their cooking wasn't anything to mock either. With their knowledge on the changed Aincrad food system, they had put together C-class meals every time with a chance of B-class. Quite a feet on the first floor.

With this new information available, everyone set out to work on their chosen skills or at least plan them for when they could.

Kirito in particular needed some points in his «Sewing» skill before he could fight at full power. Everybody but Klein knew of Kirito's true style which would put him on par with Lann, who was just a level below Lance. Klein's friends often thought that fighting with the Starter Sword meant Lann was superior, but the sapphire-eyed teen knew that against Lance, his sword would break before he could cut the player in half.

Not that he was thinking of PKing.

They spent most of the next few days attempting to level up some of their skills, but mostly coming up short. Kirito was able to get a good start on his sewing, but ultimately would not get to his goal for a floor or two.

Which brings us back to the current time.

It had been about a month since the start of the game. And despite the fact that so many have died, the current rate of progression has shown it all to be in vain. Or at least that is how everyone in the Town of Beginners will see it. In the entire month, the entire clearing force had still not found the «Boss» of the floor, which would allow them to clear it and go to the next floor.

Many people at the starting town were already still depressed about the death trap they had entered and most of them refuse to leave the town. Despite the fact that at least 2000 people have died and a month has passed, there was still little hope in sight of ever completing this floor, let alone the entire castle.

All hope seemed lost in «Aincrad».

At least, until today. An announcement was sent out via Argo from her connections. Apparently, a meeting was being held in the town of Tolbana. The plaza would hold the meeting as it was practically made for it. With a standing stage that is looked over by a heap of stairs that could easily be used as seats, and a beautiful atmosphere acting as a morale boost, the Tolbana Plaza was easily the first place to go when it came to meetings. And now a player named «Diabel» had apparently found information worth sharing with all the «Clearers», who had devoted themselves to clearing the game.

Such a thing seemed to be the only option left. There was nothing else to do but listen to the man.

As such, on December 2nd, the First Floor «Boss Strategy Meeting» was held in «Fountain Square».

* * *

**Location: Tolbana Town, Fountain Square.**

The atmosphere of the place was actually far more tense than it looked. Despite the fact that some people were joking with comrades or just vaguely chatting, everyone could feel the vibe of the square. It radiated the sole unified thought among everyone there. Almost as if the square was bathed in emotions with a single one tying it all together.

Anxiousness roamed free.

Every single player was nervous of what was about to happen. The so called «Boss Strategy Meeting» was obviously hinting at already discovering the Boss or else it wouldn't have acquired such fame in this quick a time-frame. The thought of actually finding and defeating the Boss was almost party-worthy. Everyone had become so depressed with the lack of morale that they had almost given up a few times.

Only a few could imagine what is was like for the ones who had already given up.

Among this crowd was a group of ten players. All of them were wearing black armor with an almost signature style of trim on the uniform. Each trim was slightly different than the others, but it was obvious these people were from the same group. Their very presence practically demanded the attention of everyone there despite the fact that they were just walking in, almost casually.

Leading the group was a slightly shorter teenager with black messy hair. Dark onyx eyes narrowed at the extra attention before going back to looking for seats. He seemed to dislike the outfits that had, at first seem like a good camouflage, but was actually gaining more attention in the open. With a silver trim signifying his black armor, he walked with grace towards the back of the stairs, intent on finding a less crowded area to sit.

Following after him was two people. One girl, almost as tall as the leader, with amethyst eyes and long midnight purple hair. She carried a rapier on her back, which seemed strange for a Rapier Player. Her violet trim standing out among the outfits. She seemed content to follow the leader and completely ignore the stares her friend were gaining.

The other person following was a taller adult with rugged red hair and a bandana. Along his hip was a Katana which caught a few peoples attention for a short time. Not many Katana Players were still alive after they thought they automatically knew how to use the blade when they wielded it. He just grinned at the stares. His pure red trim flowing in his movements.

After those two, was a skipping brunette with a short stature and cowl place on top of her armor. No one did not know who she was. «Argo the Rat» was the title given to her, primarily because of her make-up which seemed like whiskers. Her jollily waved at the stares and proceeded back to the group. Only then did everyone notice that the guild symbols around their HP Bars were the same. Her trim was a dark brown, matching her hair and eyes.

Shortly behind the skipping female was a pair of guys looking indifferent to the world around them while a chatty girl tried to get their attention focused. They ALL had to stop and stare at the man who was carrying a party's worth of weapons on his person. His trim being a shiny crimson, somehow matching his eyes and dark blonde hair. Next to him was a teenager who had actual heavy armor yet did not seem affected by it's weight. The kid was of direct Asian culture as his narrowed onyx eyes matched the short black hair he had. His calm grey trim staying adamant on his heavy armor, alongside the Katana at his hip.

The chatty girl had a ponytail of brown hair, with almost glowing green eyes. She wore a beret on top of her head, design in black with the same trim as her armor. Alongside her hip was a dangling rapier that almost seemed loose, but what really made people underestimate her was the round circular shield she had on her back. Her trim was a vibrant pink.

After those three were the final members of the group. A man with brown hair and eyes, practically slouching as he walked. His entire appearence looked...unoriginal. Upon closer inspection, people shrugged him off as he didn't even have any visible weapons. His mysterious green trim was forgotten as well.

The final male of the group was looking rather bored himself, even stopping to have the audacity to yawn. He had some slightly emo-ish hair reaching almost in his eyes, with a dark almost black color. It looked slightly brown in the direct sunlight but not many saw it. Dark blue eyes didn't even stare at any of the onlookers. His trim being that of a dark navy blue, following alongside his outfit straight to his weapon. No body recognized it as the Starter Sword that it was due to immediately forgoing said sword for a better one.

Walking on his right side was a girl with pale skin and loose flowing black hair. Her sapphire eyes seemed content to stare straight ahead, while occasionally sharing a glance with her companion's. Her rapier was on her left side, unlike most people. Her trim being a light sly blue, almost coexisting with her companion's navy blue.

Despite the fact that they looked like they could be underestimated. As a group, they weren't.

They were all there. Which means they had the guts to come out of the Starter city and help clear the game. Nothing but nods of welcome and curious looks were sent there way. And they mostly returned them.

All of the members of the strange group sat down and started silently whispering with eachother. Eventually, everyone else went back to their own business too.

"So what type of meeting should we expect Argo?" Lann asked the mousy girl.

Said girl grinned and replied happily, "Apparently, judging from the rumors surrounding this 'Diabel', it should be very inspirational... Watch closely for anything else, Lann-kun!"

The sapphire-eyed teen just narrowed his eyes at that. Inspiration, was also a key tool for many other things. Argo had implied there was something else, so it must be being used for such a key tool. He would indeed watch closely...

The second he stopped glaring at people who were ogling at his girl. _Eyes off!_

He was pretty sure Kirito and Lance were having the same problem. Although, Lance was itching his right hand towards one of his short swords when he noticed. Kirito was just annoyed and confused at how annoyed he was.

*munch munch*

Just about every person in the square looked towards the sound of someone eating a crunchy item. Looking towards a teen of Asian descent, everyone had a clearly annoyed face at him while he just ignored them in favor of eating some... crackers?...

Alexis was smiling with a bit of pride at the sound. Wheat was one of the few items that remained the same in this world, similar to water and wood. It was a necessity. The major problem lay in the fact that there were very little places to find it within the first 15 floors. And only five wheat mills to make them into something else. Crackers were made, simply because there wasn't enough for bread.

Besides, a box of crackers and some water could fill many people up. Even Morgan would take it slow for a while after that. There was a limit to how much one could eat before they felt too full.

And that 'almost' put Kayaba on Morgan's shit list. But, seeing as the man was amazing enough to make all this food into a virtual reality, Morgan saw a bit of himself in the man. A connoisseur of all the food in the world, no doubt.

Suddenly, a blue-haired player, dressed in heavy armor that almost likened itself to Morgan's Penguin's Blubber, stepped up to the middle of the square stealing everyone's attention.

"Attention all. My name is Diabel, I guess you could call me a «Knight»!" he said, with a slightly joking tone. The sheepish grin on his face made him look like the perfect comedian for the slightly solemn atmosphere. People laughed and rebutted.

Lann didn't like such perfection. It was too convenient, to easy. It was similar to why he disliked people who threw around their affections so easily without truly knowing the other party. If it was too fast, simple, easy, convenient and weak. It was fake. Faking such affections was taboo in his mind.

Argo simply smiled like a cat at the blue-haired man. It seemed as if she were contemplating numerous ways to embarrass Kirito with this guy as a pawn, somehow. Or maybe that analogy was used because she was eying Kirito with a mischievous glint in her brown orbs.

Ignorant of the most likely crazy schemes involving himself, Diabel continued his speaking.

"First off, I would like to thank you all for coming here. Onto the reason I have called you here though."

The blue-haired man's face turned solemn and serious. The crowd reflected his face back onto him, showing their approval.

"Today my party and I have discovered the «Boss Room» at the top floor of the tower." Naturally, this statement received surprise from all of the group. All of them paying even more rapt attention.

The tower was the first floor's dungeon. Every floor had a dungeon and they all had different tactics such as floors or mazes, but they all had one thing in common.

They all had a «Boss Room» in which they could find two things. The «Boss» and then the «Stairway» to the next floor of Aincrad.

"We _need _to defeat the boss and clear this floor..."

Everyone found themselves nodding in agreement, even the suspicious people. Diabel carried on though.

"And tell all the players in the Starter Town, that this game _can _be cleared!"

"Everyone present here shares this duty. Do you all agree?!" Diabel finished his speech with his fist raised.

Just about everyone found themselves nodding and clapping, some throwing in the occasional whistle, while Morgan threw a cracker at the guy in agreement. Diabel looked at the cracker with a sense of awe before he stowed it away in his inventory. He would chow on that in a few.

"Then let us begin our planning!" he said, looking over everyone. Everyone noticed his eyes also shortly stopped on the strange group wearing black.

"First, everyone divide into parties of six."

Quickly, almost as if it were planned in advance, people began partying with eachother. Even amongst the strange group.

"Alright, I'll lead the second party while Kirito leads first, you guys pick whose joining who." Lance said simply. It wasn't a big deal. In truth, there were little problems with it.

Strangely enough though, most of them stood by Lance except those familiar with Kirito.

Lance looked on his party's health to see everyone's names.

Himself, Fione, Morgan, Clyde, Lann and Alexis.

Kirito found himself two members short for the standard division. His party had Yuuki, Argo, Klein and himself. He knew that facing the boss unprepared would be bad, and that with one of their members were suited for espionage and not combat combined with lesser numbers, they would suffer. He quickly looked for anyone left out.

Sadly, only a single person was left out of everyone's partying, but it was better than no one. A red cloaked person stood a bit off to the side of their group, completely alone and seemingly content with it. Kirito got up and walked softly over to the figure.

"You get left out, huh?" Kirito asked, chiding himself for his lack of tact in that statement.

"No, I stayed out because everyone else seemed to know eachother already." the figure responded, although Kirito found the voice strange, he shortly deduced that the figure was female.

Thinking on what she said closely, he chose his words carefully. "So your a solo? Would you like to party with us?"

The cloaked female looked at him in what he considered confusion, before he explained himself further.

"There is just over one and a half party limit for our guild. And since boss battles are far more dangerous than regular fights, it would be best if we teamed up for it." he finished his explanation, slightly awkwardly. He still wasn't used to talking to strangers.

The girl seemed to consider it, before slowly nodding once. Kirito nodded as well and sent her an invitation. After she pressed the 'Okay' button, he looked over at the HP bars to see her name.

_'Asuna, huh?' _

"Have you all formed your parties yet?" Diabel's voice range out among the crowd, and no one objected.

"Alright-"

Before he could finish with his words, he was rudely cut off by someone.

"Hold on, Diabel-san." A player with orange hair, styled in an almost cactus way, exclaimed before jumping down a few steps as if he were a pro parkourist. Lance narrowed his eyes as if he were insulted in the way people gasped at it. That wasn't amazing at all. Hell, the guy didn't even have the form to look proper while jumping.

"My name is Kibaou. I wanna say something before we take on the boss." He stated while looking at the entire crowd.

This obviously perked up everyone's interest, although Lance and Fione were staring at the man in blatant disinterest. It seemed they were insulted by his mere speaking.

"Some of you here need to apologize to the two thousand that have died so far!" he yelled, pointing his finger at the entire crowd.

Naturally, the entire crowd seemed to take offense to this, while some of the more intelligent ones were already figuring out who he was talking about. One of those people being one who wasn't in the direct crowd. Diabel spoke in a low tone.

"Kibaou-san, are you referring to the beta testers?..."

"Of course I am!" Kibaou exclaimed aggravatingly.

"On the day this stupid game started, the beta guys ditched us beginners, and they all disappeared! They took all the good hunting spots, easy quests, and hidden treasures for themselves so only they could get stronger. And then, they just decided to ignore the rest of us." he continued on, almost bored. He was making motions with his hands as if this was common knowledge to everyone, which is some cases, it was.

Suddenly, his face grew into a snarl. He pointed his finger at the crowd again, and exclaimed for them all to hear, "I'm certain some of you were in the beta! They should get on their knees and apologize, and give up all their money and items that they've hoarded! Otherwise, we can't trust them as our party members."

The silence in the court was deafening. Somehow, even the NPC Orchestra wasn't playing at this moment. Everyone was processing this information. While, it was true that most of them had heard of the beta testers disappearing off the face of Aincrad the day the game started, they had never met any.

Strangely enough, Lance stood up and walked towards the front of the row. He did not carry the air of someone who was going to get on his knees though.

Lann stared at his back. He silently wondered what hell the man was going to make as he heard said man's soft footsteps walked down.

Kibaou looked excited, it was obvious he expected a beta tester to come down and give him all their stuff. Unfortunately, all he was receiving today was one of Lance's patented poker faces.

"Yeah, you get down over here and apologize you bet-" Kibaou was shut up as a fist crashed into his mouth and sent him back a few feet, his back on the ground and temporarily stunned.

Lance looked at him with nothing but a blank face before he started talking.

"You speak as if there was never a single beta tester who has helped others. Are you saying that this is such a case?"

Kibaou, while not exactly hurt, was still angry that he had just been punched in front of an entire group of people and talked down upon like a child. He lashed out rapidly like one.

Jumping to his feet in a single rough movement, Kibaou tried to counter him with words before he got into a useless fist fight.

"Of course! There was never a single beta tester who was good!"

In response, the dark blonde-haired man simply pulled out his inventory and materialized two books.

Holding them up, showing one to each the crowd and Kibaou, they could see the names on them.

"This is the Starter Guide that every single player had access to. It was free in every store on the first floor from here to the Starter City. Yet still some people died. This was not because of the beta testers. It was because of misfortune, fear, and weakness!"

His words were harsh, yet before the crowd could retort, he continued.

"And it was also not in vain! Their deaths are the foundation of _our _strength! We carry on so that their families can know the closure that this game will not take anymore people. So that their spirits can cross over without this accursed game being all over the media. However, we are not selfless, we also carry on for our own goals. But nonetheless, we all carry on, towards the same end."

The crowd stood and sat there, stunned by the words of a true inspiration. A true warrior. He stood proudly, almost regally, at where Diabel once stood.

"Our end, is the «Final Boss». And I don't know about you, but if a beta tester, a person with more skills, knowledge, and experience than the average person, wants to help me get there, then hopefully, I'll see you guys when you finally arrive."

With his piece said, he put the books back in his inventory, not at all answering what the second book he held up to Kibaou was. With an almost noble air, Lance walked back to his seat amongst his group of comrades bathed in black.

What he had failed to mention, or rather didn't want to, was that the guidebook was made by beta testers, and they were said beta testers. After all, this information was also in the guidebook. Why didn't they read it?

Well, that was their problem. Was what Lance's thought on the matter amounted to.

Kibaou grumpily took a seat at the front, knowing he had lost this battle. Everyone in the crowd was slightly glaring at him, and the hatred was not towards beta testers. It was at him for forgetting why they were there and trying to handicap them by getting rid of their most experienced players.

Diabel quickly took control of the situation again, with ease that Lann had been eager to note, and quickly began explaining the tactics of the boss. This was found in the first version of the guidebook, but was warned that it may have changed as SOLDIER Corporation had noted some other things had since the beta. For example, the lone wolves.

* * *

It was just shortly after the planning that everyone began to celebrate at the first ever plan against a boss.

However, not everyone was celebrating.

Diabel was eating a cracker as if it were the best thing on earth and worshiped it's flavor. Seriously, eating the trash on the first floor was probably just to depress the people even more.

SOLDIER Corporation was spread out and doing their own things. Argo and Clyde gathering info, while Lann and Alexis sat by the square just leaning on eachother. Lance was having to wait a few minutes while Kibaou publicly apologized for his rashness, and Fione was laughing at the guy's poor attempts at being honest. Klein had found the party alongside his entire division and quickly joined in.

Kirito and Morgan were having a discussion about how to integrate his Katana moves into a party best, and it was turning out rather successful. Although, Morgan was only listening to Kirito as the teen had provided him with a bowl of rice with cream on it. It wasn't that great, but it sated him for a while. The strategies Kirito was providing were actually helpful as well. Morgan would never have thought to use an ally's shoulder as a springboard for when he prepared a sword skill. Such a tactic for the Katana would be advantageous.

Meanwhile, Yuuki was looking for their new party member. From what Kirito told her, she knew what the girl looked and acted like. It honestly scared her a bit that someone would be so... expressionless. A solo player who had even considered taking on a boss without a party was a bad sign.

She found the girl eating a rough piece of bread in one of the alleyways.

"Hello Asuna-san!" Yuuki said cheerfully as she jumped over the edge of the railing and landed next to the cloaked girl.

Said girl, who was already surprised at hearing someone call her name, jumped back at the landing. Yuuki looked over at the girl who had rolled over with confusion written on her face. After the surprised instinctual roll, the girl's hood came off. It revealed beautiful chestnut hair that flowed down, in a similar manner of Alexis's and her own. Except, she had braided a second pair of lengths across the back of her head underneath a ponytail. All in all, it was a rather unique look.

Yuuki _loved _it.

"W-what! Who are you?! And how do you know my name!?"

The dark haired-girl just barely registered the question before she smiled and made a quick introduction.

She took the girls hands in a friendly shake with a large smile and said, "I'm Yuuki, nice to meet you! I'll be your party member!"

* * *

**And Done. I had REALLY hoped to get into some battle this chapter, however my writing time was cut down a lot, and since I normally do around 5000 per session, along with my seldom sessions. Well... I'm amazed that I had gotten a chapter this big out so quickly.**

**On the amazing side, if I remember correctly, this will push my story up into the 30,000 word mark even after only three chapters. I'm extremely happy about that. Also, I am certain you have all read my AN about my new stories. I would like to inform you all that I had just recently done a session of my newest Persona 4 story, striking a nice 6000 words into it before I took a break.  
**

**Now, I will probably finish that chapter and start the story next week. Afterwards, I'll start on my Pokemon challenge. I am going to absolutely enjoy writing an AshXLeaf Absolute Love story. I can't wait to write about the obsessive tendencies of true love! It's so amazing that I could call it instinctual, but that would mean it is within the instinct of every human being to being able to be in true love, which I severely doubt. Although, I can not disprove it.  
**

**Anyway, I've strayed off topic once more. How about a few questions to let me know what you all think?  
**

**1) How did you enjoy my explanation of SAOs status system?  
**

**2) What is your opinion of everyone's 'chosen paths' within the game? Note that I will not tell you all what Kirito's true style is.  
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**3) How did you like the guidebook transition idea? It's not new or original, but I'm hoping to use it in further detail then it already has been in some other fics.  
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**4) What is your opinion of Lance after seeing him punch a fucker in the face? My opinion of him when he did that to me in RL actually went up! :3  
**

**5) Were you expecting Yuuki to talk to Asuna so personally so soon? And you better not have forgotten about Yuuki I.,..,.I She is a main character after all...  
**

**6) Why do you expect I am keeping my Starter Sword?  
**

**And that is just about all the question's I can think of on a quarter cup of coffee with no sugar. Need to go get some soon...  
**

**Anyway, I hope you all check out my other fics as I will be making even MORE shortly. Hopefully, you all enjoy the anime/games I'm using for aforementioned fics.  
**

**Final thing, but definitely most important, Alexis says 'Thank you for reading!'.  
**

**Lann Majra and Alexis Yuria, out! Hopefully to the 99 cent store, our favorable ally in crime.  
**


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